Africa: Landmines

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to help clear all landmines laid during World War II in north Africa.

Lord Astor of Hever: The UK has assisted with landmine clearance in North Africa in the past and continues to provide technical information to the mine affected countries.
	The Government have overhauled their support for mine clearance programmes in order to focus on high-impact zones in a more responsive and flexible way. We have prioritised according to identified relative need and targeted those low-income countries that are worst affected by landmines, considering factors such as: the number of lives that are likely to be saved; the number of mines in the area; the benefit to a community socially and economically; and the targeting of funding towards countries unable to fund mine clearance programmes of their own or which do not receive significant support from elsewhere in the international community.

Agriculture: Livestock Standards

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the case for seeking changes to World Trade Organisation policies to protect British farmers from competition from countries that have lower welfare standards for livestock.

Lord De Mauley: The Government view animal welfare as a matter of high priority. As well as promoting high animal welfare standards in this country, we are keen to encourage high animal welfare standards internationally in both other European Union countries and third countries. World Trade Organisation rules currently make no specific provision for justifying restrictive trade measures aimed at protecting animal welfare. However, we are working with other countries within the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to develop and progress internationally recognised standards for animal welfare.

Airports

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for working with the relevant national and international organisations to improve the experience of air travellers from check-in to exit from the destination airport.

Earl Attlee: The South East Airports Taskforce, chaired by the Minister of State, is looking at ways of enhancing the passenger experience to, from and within the airport at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted with a view to sharing identified good practice more widely.
	The Government continue to work within the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the European Civil Aviation Conference, and with industry groups such as the International Air Transport Association, to improve the passenger experience.

Airports: Birmingham

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they will give for the proposed expansion of Birmingham Airport.

Earl Attlee: We recognise the vital contribution that regional airports make to local economies. It is our intention to develop an aviation policy framework that seeks to create the right conditions for regional airports to flourish. Plans for the expansion of Birmingham Airport are a matter for the airport operator.
	This Government have not therefore made any assessment of the potential benefits of proposed expansion of Birmingham Airport on the West Midlands economy.

Anti-Semitism

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice is given to universities about policy and practice to tackle anti-Semitism and hate speech on higher education campuses.

Lord Henley: There is guidance to higher education institutions on Promoting Good Campus Relations, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Violent Extremism in Universities and Higher Education Colleges, developed by the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. This includes detailed guidance to help institutions address issues concerning violent extremism, applicable to whatever form this might take on campus. It also includes guidance on issues that might arise in terms of external speakers on campus. Institutions also take advice about external speakers from their local police forces when needed. The guidance is available online: www.dius.gov.u1c/publications/extremismhe.pdf.
	The department is active in the wider government review of the Prevent strategy and we expect outcomes from this will provide a steer to higher education institutions on further approaches to tackling extremism and supporting integration.
	The sector has also produced guidance which offers institutions practical strategies to deal with instances of hate crimes and intolerance on campus, including anti-Semitism (available at www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/promoting-good-campus-relations-update).
	Later this year further guidance will also be developed from the Equality Challenge Unit's major religion and belief project, Universities UK's Academic Freedom Working Group and the National Union of Students (NUS) on freedom of speech in HE. The NUS guidance will be aimed particularly at supporting students' unions.

Armed Forces: Accommodation

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps have been taken since the National Audit Office report Service Families Accommodation of March 2009 to raise the standard of service accommodation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise the standard of service families' accommodation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to upgrade and improve existing service families' accommodation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what budget has been allocated to upgrade service families' accommodation in 2010-11; and what budget has been allocated for subsequent years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria upon which funds will be allocated for the upgrade and improvement of service families' accommodation.

Lord Astor of Hever: The 2009 National Audit Office report on service family accommodation (SFA), published in May 2009, covered the situation before this Government took office. Since May 2010 this Government have consistently sought to ensure that service personnel and their families are housed in good-quality modern accommodation.
	The 2010-11 upgrade programme typically provides a new kitchen, bathroom, heating system and often a new roof and windows and will bring at least 800 SFA properties up to the highest standard for condition. In addition, around 4,000 properties will benefit from smaller-scale improvements such as new boilers, bathrooms, kitchens, loft insulation and double glazing, which may not amount to a full upgrade but will deliver real lifestyle benefits to occupants.
	Some £60 million has been allocated in the financial year 2010-11 for the upgrade and improvement programmes in England and Wales. Allocations for future years have yet to be agreed, but the Government will endeavour to improve as many properties as possible from the agreed allocation, together with possible funding from efficiencies found elsewhere within the Ministry of Defence.
	Over 95 per cent of SFA in the UK are now at the top two (of four) standards for condition.
	The current upgrade and improvement programmes in the UK prioritise investment on a greatest needs first basis.

Armed Forces: Accommodation

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the Armed Forces home ownership scheme to ex-service personnel.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Armed Forces home ownership scheme pilot is designed for full-time, permanent members of the Armed Forces, with between four and six years' service, who intend to remain in the Armed Forces and buy a property in England.
	Former service personnel are not eligible to apply to join the Armed Forces home ownership scheme pilot but retain their key worker status for the first 12 months after leaving the Armed Forces, allowing them priority access to other government affordable housing initiatives.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with BAE Systems about the capabilities of a navalised version of the Eurofighter Typhoon which it is offering to India; and whether such capabilities could meet the requirements for a United Kingdom carrier-borne aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: We have periodically reviewed with BAE Systems our present and future Typhoon capability requirements from a technological, industrial and commercial perspective and will continue to do so throughout the life of the aircraft.
	A navalised Typhoon was considered as part of the assessment of Joint Combat Aircraft options in 2000-01, but was rejected on grounds of cost, capability and technical challenge. This decision has been reviewed regularly since, informed through discussions with BAE Systems.
	Our future combat air requirement is therefore predicated on the complementary capability provided by a balanced Typhoon/Joint Strike Fighter force. The 2010 strategic defence and security review has confirmed that the capabilities offered by the Joint Strike Fighter is the most appropriate and cost-effective solution to meet the UK's carrier strike component of this capability.

Armed Forces: Royal Marines

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on recruiting for the Royal Marines in each of the last five years; how much they propose to spend on recruitment in each of the next five years; and what are the reasons for any change in future funding.

Lord Astor of Hever: The costs of recruiting to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines are not held separately by the Department. Costs are held as a total recruiting activity for both elements of the Naval Service. The total Naval Service recruitment spend for the last four years is provided in the table below.
	
		
			 Financial Year (£ million) 
			 2007-08 34.80 
			 2008-09 36.39 
			 2009-10 36.86 
			 2010-11 32.36 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures can only be provided from 2007-08 due to difficulties in recalling data from historic records.
	2. Costs include elements such as pay, National Insurance and superannuation contributions for Service and Civilian staff; travel and subsistence; external training; advertising and marketing.
	3. The figure for Financial Year 2010/11 represents estimated spend, the total outturn could be higher or lower.
	Future plans have not yet been finalised and will take account of the Government's decisions in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and our assessment of the requirement as result of the reductions in the size of the Naval Service, including the Royal Marines.

Armed Forces: Under-18s

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people under 18 are serving in the regular armed forces.

Lord Astor of Hever: As at 1 April 2010, there were some 3,500 trained and untrained personnel in the Armed Forces who were under the age of 18. The Defence Analytical Services and Advice organisation publishes these data annually in its Tri Service Report 8, Age Distribution of UK Regular Forces, which is available at the following address: www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page= 67andpubType=1andthiscontent=80anddate=2010-06-10. A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Under-18s

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people under 18 serving in the regular Armed Forces were "looked-after" children (a) when they enlisted, and (b) at any time before they enlisted.

Lord Astor of Hever: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained by conducting a search of manual records on many sites thus incurring a disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Under-18s

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people serving in the regular Armed Forces who enlisted before they reached the age of 18 have been permitted to leave before reaching the end of the normal minimum period of service.

Lord Astor of Hever: During the financial year 2009-10, 720 service personnel under the age of 18 elected to leave the services before the minimum period of service. This does not include those who were discharged on medical or disciplinary grounds.

Armed Forces: Under-18s

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people serving in the regular armed forces who enlisted before they reached the age of 18 have been refused permission to leave before reaching the end of their normal minimum period of service.

Lord Astor of Hever: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only by conducting a search of manual records on many sites.
	Recruits who are under 18 years of age at the time of enlistment and who wish to end their service have a right to leave by giving at least 14 days' notice to their commanding officer. Such notice can take effect when the recruit has completed 28 days' service and is within six months of enlistment. Additionally, recruits who before their 18th birthday have made their unhappiness with military life known to the commanding officer can request permission to leave up to three months after they reach age 18. In such cases the policy is to treat them with great sympathy but this does not give a right to discharge.
	This process is managed within a unit and the individual service manning authorities. Units are not required to collect statistical data of those under 18 years who have applied to leave and are refused.

Asylum Seekers: Funding

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all notifications to agencies providing services to refugees and asylum seekers of cuts in the grants they receive from the Home Office or the UK Border Agency.

Lord De Mauley: The UK Border Agency will arrange for copies of letters to agencies providing services to refugees and asylum seekers, notifying them of levels of asylum support grant funding for 2011-12, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Aviation: Passenger Duty

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the cost of abolishing air passenger duty for visitors to each of the British overseas territories.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will suspend air passenger duty for visitors to the Turks and Caicos Islands while the territory remains under direct rule.

Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect information on the contribution to air passenger duty (APD) revenues made from flights to specific countries or territories. For each destination band under APD, the numbers of chargeable passengers and the revenue declared are published on a monthly basis on HMRC's UK Trade Info website: www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulletins.
	The Government have no plans to suspend air passenger duty to any country or territory.

Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider commissioning an independent report into the Bank of England's approach to and accuracy in inflation forecasting.

Lord Sassoon: The framework of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England promotes transparency and accountability in its decision-making process, including through publications such as the Bank's quarterly inflation reports and the MPC's monthly meeting minutes. The MPC also has to explain its actions regularly to the Treasury Select Committee. The Bank of England's May 2010 inflation report contains an assessment of the Bank's forecasting record.

Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the loss of value of the Bank of England's Asset Purchase Fund over the six months to the end of January 2011.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England will publish accounts for the Asset Purchase Facility (APF) for the year ending February 2011 before the Summer Parliamentary Recess. The amount due to or from HM Treasury under its indemnity to the Bank will be identified. The Treasury will include the implications of the APF for Treasury resources, that is, the profit or loss of the APF based on valuations of APF assets at balance sheet date in its annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2011 to be published before the Summer Parliamentary Recess. Any profit or loss on the APF will only crystallise once the fund is wound up.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to promote London as a centre for issuing and investing in bank contingent convertible capital notes.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are committed to maintaining London's position as a leading financial centre and as a location for global financial services companies and to supporting the competitiveness of the financial services firms based in the UK. They recognise that success in these areas is important for the banks' future contribution to the UK economy.
	International policy development on mechanisms to increase the loss absorbency of systemically important financial institutions is ongoing. The UK Government are engaging actively in the international debate and will continue to closely consult the industry through this process. The G20 has commissioned the Financial Stability Board to develop proposals to address the risks caused by systemically important financial institutions before the end of 2011.
	In January 2011, the Basel Committee released proposals to ensure that all tier 1 and tier 2 capital is subject to conversion or write-down at the point of non-viability. The UK supports the ongoing work of the Basel Committee.
	Alongside this, the Independent Commission on Banking is developing recommendations with a view to reducing systemic risk in the UK banking sector and is due to report in September 2011.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will assess the success of their proposals for reduced bank bonuses from levels that would otherwise have been paid in the absence of the latter figure.

Lord Sassoon: As a result of the Government's discussions, the largest UK banks have made a commitment that the total remuneration paid in respect of the 2010 financial year will be lower than it was for 2009, and lower than it would have been otherwise. The remuneration committee chair of each bank will write to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to confirm that the bank's commitment has been met.
	Alongside this, the Government have taken robust action to tackle unacceptable bonuses including through the revised Financial Services Authority remuneration code, the new FSA remuneration disclosure rules, the bank levy, higher capital and liquidity requirements, stronger resolution arrangements, the Independent Commission on Banking and continued investigation of the costs and benefits of a financial activities tax.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Bank of England has been consulted by HM Treasury about the negotiations with the banks over Project Merlin.

Lord Sassoon: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of Project Merlin, they intend to set volume production targets for other commercial sectors of the economy.

Baroness Wilcox: I will write to the noble Lord and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Banking: Iceland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 15 December 2010 (WA 182-3), what is the total amount unclaimed by depositors with balances above £50,000 in the three failed Icelandic banks; and whether they will investigate the source of the deposited money and confirm its legality before repaying depositors.

Lord Sassoon: Compensation payments, including those for deposits over £50,000, are administered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). According to the FSCS, as at 4 January 2011 the total amount unclaimed by depositors with balances over £50,000 in Landsbanki, Heritable Bank plc and Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander was £0.42 billion.
	The bank in default uses its own processes and procedures to identify any legality issues as to the source of the deposit funds. The FSCS has confirmed that in addition to this they will also carry out certain checks to verify the position.

Bankruptcy

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to adopt the rescue procedure set out in Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

Baroness Wilcox: This Government have not carried out an assessment of whether to adopt the rescue procedure set out in Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. We have however received views on the effectiveness of our rescue procedures in the context of a consultation issued by the previous Government on a possible moratorium for companies that are in difficulty. We will shortly be setting out our response to stakeholder comments.

Banks: Green Investment Bank

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will appoint the governing board of the Green Investment Bank; and how.

Baroness Wilcox: I will write to my noble friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Banks: Lending

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce measures to cap excessive interest charged on unsecured loans, including "payday loans".

Baroness Wilcox: Well informed, empowered consumers are central to the Government's vision for how a credit market between customers and lenders should work. We want to encourage responsible lending and borrowing decisions and to strengthen protection where necessary, particularly for the most vulnerable. BIS and HM Treasury are currently reviewing the consumer credit and personal insolvency regime. This is a thorough review of consumer credit and personal insolvency, looking at all the measures that could be taken to support people in difficulty and help them resolve their debts, including the impact of any interest rate cap on payday lending. A call for evidence made in connection with the review has recently closed and we are currently considering the substantial number of responses received. The Government will make an announcement on next steps in the spring.

Banks: Lending

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effect of the Basel Committee's proposals for a net stable funding requirement and a liquidity coverage ratio on lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sassoon: The Government welcome the progress made in Basel towards a final package of new international regulatory standards, including the introduction, for the first time, of international minimum liquidity requirements. Analysis by the Basel Committee and the International Monetary Fund highlights the considerable benefits of these reforms for financial stability. This analysis also suggests that meeting the liquidity standards will be achievable for UK banks and that the impact on lending, both in the long run and during the transition, will be moderate.
	The Basel standards are yet to be fully finalised and the committee has stated that it will continue to monitor the proposed liquidity coverage ratio and net stable funding ratio during the transition phase to ensure that there are no unintended consequences; this also provides further opportunity to assess the impact on the wider economy. If necessary, revisions will then be made to the standards before they are introduced in 2015 and 2018 respectively.

Banks: Lending

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Sassoon on 1 February (Official Report, col. 1303), whether the statement that they intend to ensure that banks "lend, materially and verifiably, more than they were planning to the businesses of Britain" is based on knowledge of how much banks were intending to lend.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they define a banking relationship moved from one United Kingdom bank to another United Kingdom bank as a new loan.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether discussions under Project Merlin have focused on setting bank lending targets for all business customers or just those in the United Kingdom; and whether there are any European Union restrictions on requiring banks to agree to lending targets limited to United Kingdom businesses.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which United Kingdom banks are lending to creditworthy borrowers; and what action they are taking to address the level of lending.

Lord Sassoon: On 9 February, the Government welcomed the commitment by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and Santander on lending expectations and capacity. The Chancellor announced to the House that:
	the banks will lend £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, up from £179 billion in 2010. If demand exceeds this, the banks will lend more;£76 billion of this lending will be to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is a 15 per cent increase on 2010 (£66 billion);as outlined in the Chancellor's Statement to the House, new lending will include overdrafts, asset finance and loan facilities that are made available to businesses during 2011. This includes refinancing of existing facilities; the commitments to make available new lending will be a part of the performance metrics of each bank's chief executive and those of the senior managers responsible for business lending; andperformance against these commitments will be collected and published on a quarterly basis by the Bank of England.

Barnett Formula

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the populations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales used to calculate amounts under the Barnett formula; how often the figures are updated; and what source is used for compiling the population numbers.

Lord Sassoon: The figures used to calculate the population proportions which form part of the Barnett formula are derived from the mid-year estimates of population published by the Office for National Statistics. The latest population proportions are shown in paragraph 4.7 of the Treasury publication Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy(SFP). These population proportions were taken from the 2009 mid-year estimates of population which are:
	
		
			 England 51,809,700 
			 Scotland 5,194,000 
			 Wales 2,999,300 
			 Northern Ireland 1,788,900 
		
	
	The population proportions are updated on a regular basis and the data used in spending reviews are published in the SFP.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they gave to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council in each of the last three years; and what conditions they attached to the funding.

Baroness Wilcox: My department's allocation to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in each of the past three years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 FY 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 £ 000 427,000 452,563 471,057 
		
	
	The BBSRC utilises its funding in accordance with its delivery plan (see www.bbsrc.ac.uk/publications/planning/bbsrc-delivery-plan.aspx). BBSRC operates within this strategic framework but takes its own decisions on research priorities and projects in accordance with the Haldane principle.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government who the chairman of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what his or her career has been to date.

Baroness Wilcox: The chairman of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is Professor Sir Tom Blundell FRS, who took up his appointment on 1 July 2009. A full account of his qualifications and career details to date are published on the BBSRC website at www.bbsrc.ac.uk/ under the section: Professor Sir Tom Blundell FRS-Chair [Chair's biography-www.bbsrc.ac.uk/organisation/structures /council/chair.aspx].

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the chairman of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council was selected; by whom; what process was followed in his or her selection; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the position; how many were short-listed for interview; how many candidates were appraised; what criteria were adopted for the appointment; and whether candidates' views on (a) adoption, (b) reproductive rights and reproductive health, (c) embryo experimentation and (d) stem cell research were sought.

Baroness Wilcox: The position of chairman of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council was advertised in the Sunday Times on 2 November 2008 and the successful candidate took up the post from 1 July 2009. The process was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of the Commissioner of Public Appointments and after consideration of a report of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee, which held a pre-appointment hearing on 13 May 2009. Under the terms of the council's royal charter, the selection was made by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Ten applications were received with three candidates invited to interview. Candidates were appraised against the criteria in the role and person specification published at the time to assess their suitability for the role. Candidates' views on adoption, reproductive rights and reproductive health, embryo experimentation and stem cell research were not sought as part of the selection process.

Bribery Act 2010

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces and staff at the Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development are subject to the Bribery Act 2010; and, if so, whether they are covered by the offence of failing to prevent a bribe being paid on their behalf.

Lord Astor of Hever: Section 16 of the Bribery Act 2010 applies the Act to individuals in the public service of the Crown, which means that members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces and staff at the Ministry of Defence and other government departments will be liable to prosecution if their conduct in the discharge of their duties constitutes an offence under the Act.
	Section 7 of the Act creates an offence of failing to prevent bribery. This offence can only be committed by a relevant commercial organisation. The Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development do not fall within the definition of "relevant commercial organisation" set out in Section 7.

Climate Change

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the terms of reference of the Stern Review on the economics of climate change; and what it cost to produce.

Lord Sassoon: The terms of reference of the Stern review are available online at: webarchive.nationalarchives. gov.uk/20100407010852/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sternreview_backgroundtoreview.htm.
	The cost to the Government of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change was £1,272,000 including staff costs, accommodation, travel, research and the publication of the final report. This figure does not include the costs of any analysis and research carried out by other government departments to support the review, nor does it include the cost of any follow-up work, as these figures are not centrally held.

Criminal Justice: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 January (WA 186), whether the remit and funding agreement for the Miscarriages of Justice Support Service allows it to provide assistance to people found not guilty at trial or whose convictions were quashed on first appeal.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 January (WA 186), how many people who were found not guilty at trial have been assisted by the Miscarriages of Justice Support Service or the Miscarriages of Justice project since inception of the schemes.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 January (WA 186), how many people whose convictions were quashed on their first appeal have been assisted by the Miscarriages of Justice Support Service or the Miscarriages of Justice project since inception of the schemes.

Lord McNally: The remit and funding agreement for the Miscarriages of Justice Support Service does not cover the provision of assistance to those found not guilty at trial or at first appeal. The only exception is where a retrial is ordered following the quashing of a conviction by the Court of Appeal. In the lifetime of the project, the Miscarriages of Justice Support Service has supported nine cases that have had a re-trial following the quashing of a conviction.
	The Miscarriages of Justice Support Service assists those whose convictions were quashed on first appeal only if this was following leave granted (by the Court of Appeal) to conduct an out-of-time appeal.

Criminal Justice: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 January (WA 186), whether the Lord Chancellor can issue a practice direction to judges to state a presumption of innocence in writing to anyone acquitted at trial and to people whose appeal has resulted in a conviction being quashed.

Lord McNally: Further to my reply dated 27 January 2011 (Official Report, col. WA 186), practice directions in the Criminal Courts are a matter for the Lord Chief Justice. The Lord Chancellor cannot issue practice directions.

Education

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which proposals for the conversion of schools to academies have been approved; in which local education authority each is located; in each case, what will be the government funding for capital schemes; how many pupils will be provided for; and in what age groups.

Lord Hill of Oareford: All schools that have formally applied for academy status can be seen in the published list on our website: www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schools-submitting-applications-and-academies-which-have-opened-in-201011. Those which are listed as having an academy order have had their proposal to become an academy approved in principle. The list also shows the local authority area in which each school is situated and the phase of the school. The total number of pupils in the schools with an academy order issued, including schools in federations, is 330,134, according to the Census of January 2010.
	Centrally held information about government capital funding for individual maintained schools covers only the capital devolved to them (devolved formula capital) and capital spent within building schools for the future schemes. There is significant funding managed at local level for which school-level data are not held centrally. Up to the end of March 2011, that locally managed funding will continue to apply to schools approved for conversion. Capital funding for 2011-12 capital allocations to local authorities for their schools were announced on 13 December 2010, with an assurance that academies would be given equivalent allocations for devolved and maintenance funding. Specifically, devolved formula capital will go to them on exactly the same basis as to maintained schools. No decisions have been taken about any capital programmes from April 2012.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 24 January (WA 96-7) and 7 February (WA 13-14), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised them of whether no information was communicated to Authority members prior to 16 March 2005 in which the autoimmune nature of type 1 diabetes was highlighted or queried in relation to licensing the use of cells from diabetics for human embryo cloning; why they answered the question by reference to licence committee practice; and how any substantive answer would affect the statutory delegation of the Authority's functions.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) did not advise the department whether or not information was communicated to authority members prior to 16 March 2005 in which the autoimmune nature of type 1 diabetes was highlighted or queried in relation to licensing the use of cells from diabetics for human embryo cloning. The HFEA is an independent statutory body and the manner in which it discharges its statutory duties is a matter for the authority itself to determine.
	The matters raised in this question were considered by a HFEA licence committee at a meeting held almost six years ago. The HFEA has advised that a record of this meeting is set out in the relevant minutes. The HFEA has also advised that it cannot comment on what information may have come to the attention of the members in any period of time prior to the date of the meeting, beyond the information referred to or contained in records held by the authority.
	The HFEA has further advised that it has not suggested that the provision of information would affect the statutory delegation of the authority's functions.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 February (WA 13-14), what was the procedure for reconsidering licence committee decisions prescribed in regulations prior to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Appeals) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/1891); how many appeals have been made; by whom; and what were the outcomes of those appeals.

Earl Howe: Prior to the coming into force of the relevant provisions introduced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (2008 Act), the procedure for reconsidering Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) licence committee decisions was set out in Section 20 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (1990 Act) and in The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (Licence Committees and Appeals) Regulations 1991 (SI 1991/1889).
	The HFEA has advised that in the last five years one appeal was made under Section 20(1) of the 1990 Act, as in force prior to amendments made by the 2008 Act, by the person responsible for centres 0157 and 0206. The HFEA has also advised that in the course of parallel legal proceedings it set aside the appealed decision and the appeal consequently fell away without being determined by the authority.
	The HFEA has further advised that there have been a small number of other occasions on which individuals have given notice of their intention to appeal a licence committee decision but, in each of these cases, the appellant subsequently decided not to pursue the appeal and no hearing took place.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 15 March 2010 (WA 123) and Earl Howe on 7 February 2011 (WA 10), what impact consultation responses had on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's policy following the public consultation on "Donating eggs for research: safeguarding donors", bearing in mind comments by Dr Stephen Minger in the media on 21 December 2006 and Dr Alexandra Plows and others in the document entitled Should scientific researchers be allowed to ask women to provide their eggs for disease research?-A statement of concerns in response to the current HFEA consultation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 February (WA 10), how the consultation on egg and sperm donation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will take into account the views expressed by the public; and how it will differ from the HFEA's previous consultations.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 February (WA 10), whether they will ensure that decisions have not already been taken by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority members on the issues in the current consultation on egg and sperm donation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 February (WA 10), what is the response of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to the comments by Professor Eric Blyth, Dr Marilyn Crawshaw, Dr Lucy Frith, Dr Caroline Jones and Dr Nina Martin on the current consultation on egg and sperm donation in BioNews 593 on 31 January.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the responses to the consultation Donating eggs for research: safeguarding donors were taken into account in formulating its policy and guidance on the matters discussed in the document. The HFEA's deliberations are recorded in minutes of the relevant meetings, which are published on its website at: www.hfea.gov.uk.
	The HFEA has advised that the process and timing of its current review of sperm and egg donation have been discussed in successive authority meetings, minutes of which are available on its website. Decisions with regard to the policy and guidance relating to sperm and egg donation are expected to be taken by the authority at an open meeting in July. Papers and minutes relating to this meeting will be published on the HFEA website. The HFEA has also advised that, following well-established practice, all responses will be summarised and reported to the authority for consideration. Policy decisions rest with the authority as a whole rather than with individual members.
	The HFEA has advised that it does not recognise a basis for the comments on its consultation in the BioNews article, which reflect the opinions of the authors. However, the HFEA has also advised that the way it has gone about framing the consultation has been thorough and transparent. The HFEA considers there is no basis to the claim that decisions have already been made and is confident that the consultation materials provide those wishing to respond with an even-handed and informative overview of the issues on which their views are sought.
	The HFEA is an independent statutory body, and the manner in which it discharges its statutory duties and any consultations it undertakes to assist it in conducting its statutory functions are matters for the authority itself to determine.

Energy: Fuel Poverty

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 3 February (WA 282-3), how the definition of fuel poverty used in the United Kingdom Fuel Poverty Strategy was derived; what is the annual amount in a modelled fuel bill; and why the winter fuel payment is added to general income as opposed to being deducted from the modelled fuel bill when calculating the fuel poverty ration for households in fuel poverty.

Lord Marland: The definition of fuel poverty set out in the Fuel Poverty Strategy was the most widely accepted definition of a fuel-poor household. The definition was consulted upon prior to the strategy being published and was broadly the same as the definition that already existed in academia.
	The modelled fuel bill is the sum of annual modelled bills for space heating, water heating, lights and appliance usage and cooking costs for each household. The requirement for each of these is modelled based on the dwelling, the efficiency and structure of the dwelling, the people who live there, their personal circumstances and requirements and the fuels used. Information on householders and dwellings used to calculate these modelled bills comes from the English Housing Survey. The fuel poverty methodology handbook can be found at www.decc.gov.uk/Media/viewfile.ashx?FilePath= Statistics/fueipoverty/614-fuel-poverty¬methodology -handbook.pdfandfiIetype=4andminwidth=true.
	Consistent with other statistics, Winter Fuel Payments are classified as an addition to recipients' incomes. They make an important contribution to tackling fuel poverty and were responsible for taking around 100,000 households out of fuel poverty in England in 2008 (and up to 200,000 in the UK as a whole).
	Whilst it remains appropriate to consider Winter Fuel Payments in this way for statistical purposes, to gain a full picture of the impact of Winter Fuel Payments on the situation of fuel-poor households it is also useful to consider what effect they would have if used to meet energy bills directly. Taking this approach, around 850,000 fewer households in England (and around 1.25 million fewer households in the UK as a whole) are shown to need to spend more that 10 per cent of their income in order to meet the remaining costs of heating their home adequately.

Energy: Fuel VAT

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was raised in the last three years from duty on road fuels; how much from VAT on fuel; what is the estimated extra annual revenue from the increase in VAT on road fuels; and how much extra road fuel duty and VAT revenue is raised every time road fuel prices go up by 5p a litre.

Lord Sassoon: Fuel duty receipts are published in table 3 of the UK Trade Info Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloilandhas FlashPlayer=true.
	Fuel duty receipts for the past three years are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  Fuel Duty Receipts from Road Fuels (£ billion) 
			 2007-08 24.4 
			 2008-09 24.0 
			 2009-10 25.6 
		
	
	Broad estimates of the revenue raised from VAT on fuel can be made using consumer expenditure data for fuels from the Office of National Statistics' Consumer Trends publication (series code CDDY in Table 07.CN): www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/consumer-trends-q3-2010.pdf.
	Future VAT revenue impacts from policy changes are estimated at an aggregate level and are not available for individual goods and services.
	Paragraphs 8-10 of the Office for Budgetary Responsibility's Assessment of the Effect of Oil Price Fluctuations on the Public Finances report outline the impact that fuel price shocks have on fuel duty and VAT revenues: budgetresponsibility.independent.gov. uk/d/assessment_oilprice_publicfinances.pdf.

Energy: Generation Capacity

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of total installed generating capacity is required to preserve security of supply, including during periods of maximum demand; and what proportion is made up by wind power.

Lord Marland: National Grid's winter outlook 2010-11 indicates that based on data submitted by generators, the notified of operational generation capability was 77.7 gigawatts (GW) at the start of winter. The forecast average cold spell (ACS) peak demand for this winter was 57.7 GW. This provides a margin over peak demand of 20.7GW or 35 per cent (a historically high margin). There is 2.5GW of installed wind generation capacity connected directly to the transmission network (about 3 per cent of the total), though National Grid assumes that, on average, this capacity will be available only 10 per cent of the time.

Energy: Green Growth

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they will have spent on financing green growth by the next budget; and how that compares to private sector investment in green projects.

Lord De Mauley: This Government will spend £4.9 billion on environment and green growth measures in 2010-11. The spending review protects environmental spending and, in recognition of its importance to ensuring sustainable growth in the long term, this will increase to £6.5 billion by 2014-15-an increase of 21 per cent in real terms over the next spending review period.
	The Government do not hold specific information on private sector investment in green projects. However, alongside the spending review, the Government published their National Infrastructure Plan, which said that over the next five years some £200 billion will be invested in UK economic infrastructure. The majority of investment will be in energy and transport, and will come from the private sector.

Energy: Green Growth

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that any new funding mechanisms for green industries will be long-term in order to provide certainty for financial markets.

Lord De Mauley: The Government recognise the importance of providing certainty for investors in green industries in designing incentive frameworks. At the same time, the Government also need to be able to assure the affordability of support and that taxpayers' or energy consumers' money is being used cost-effectively. The Government are committed to balancing these objectives to deliver effective and sustainable funding frameworks for green industries. We also remains committed to our policy of maintaining support levels for existing investments benefiting from renewable financial incentives and not making retrospective changes.

Energy: Green Growth

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effect of government-backed projects, such as the carbon capture and storage plants, on creating an independent funding system for green growth projects.

Lord Marland: Demonstration programmes, such as the Government's commitment to continuing public sector investment in CCS technology for four fossil fuel power stations, are necessary to bring forward the commercial deployment of technologies that are needed to reduce the UK's carbon emissions. These programmes also provide UK industry with a first mover's advantage in what are set to become global markets. The value to the UK from global markets for new advanced coal and gas-fired generation plant, including that fitted or retrofitted with CCS, could be worth up to £6.5 billion a year by 2030.
	These programmes are an essential part of the Government's focus on green growth but we also recognise the need to accelerate and scale up private investment in green infrastructure that is already commercially proven. We are creating a Green Investment Bank that will provide funding for investments in infrastructure projects in areas where private sector investment is currently constrained. These projects will facilitate the entrance of new types of investor into the UK's green infrastructure and provide new opportunities for jobs and economic growth throughout the UK.

EU: Common Fisheries Policy

Lord Eden of Winton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made in their discussions on the European Union Common Fisheries Policy; and when action will be taken to end fish discards.

Lord Henley: We are building support for radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) through discussions with the EU Fisheries Commissioner and other member state Ministers, along with representatives of the fishing industry-both large-scale and under-10-metre fleets-MEPs, retailers and non-governmental organisations. Our focus is to simplify and decentralise fisheries management, enabling those closest to fisheries to plan for the long term integrating fisheries management and marine conservation and giving fishermen greater incentive to fish sustainably, including the means to end discards.
	The UK Government, however, are not simply waiting until reform of the CFP to take action on discards. We have already undertaken a number of initiatives that have delivered excellent results. Project 50%, a collaborative project between fishermen and the Government, saw discards in the South West sole fishery reduced by over 50 per cent. We are also pioneering an alternative "catch quota" management system that is based on managing and monitoring what is caught, not just what is landed. Cod discards by vessels participating in the 2010 trial were reduced significantly, and we are expanding the trial in 2011 to include more vessels and species.
	Furthermore, we are taking action through the Fishing for the Market project by seeking to encourage consumption of alternative and sustainable underutilised species that are presently discarded. The aim of which is to provide new opportunities for fishermen, as well as reduce discards.

EU: Emissions

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of European Union Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger's statement to the Guardian newspaper on 10 February that raising the European Union's emission cuts to 30 per cent by 2020 would lead to a faster process of de- industrialisation in Europe.

Lord Marland: The EU has demonstrated over the past 20 years that it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whilst simultaneously growing our economies. Whilst the macro and micro economic impacts of tighter emissions targets are difficult to model, it is clear that they will stimulate investment and job creation in growing low carbon sectors. There are also a range of other benefits of moving to a 30 per cent target, such as reduced EU dependence on imported oil and gas and protecting economies against spikes in the oil price.
	We do recognise that decarbonising the most energy intensive sectors will be challenging although the impacts will be limited to a small number of sectors for which appropriate measures will be employed. We should not exaggerate the risk. The Commission's May 2010 analysis of the impact of a move to a 30 per cent GHG target indicates that some of the most energy-intensive sectors (for example ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and some chemicals) would experience an additional production loss of only 0.1 per cent and 1 per cent compared with a 20 per cent EU target, even if other countries remained at the low end of their Copenhagen Accord pledges.

EU: Galileo Satellite System

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following figures from the European Commission showing that the Galileo project will need an additional €1.9 billion to cover its costs, they will re-examine the project and review their continued financial support for it.

Earl Attlee: The Government are very disappointed that the European Commission has stated in its mid-term review of the European satellite navigation programme that it will be unable to complete the deployment phase of the Galileo system by the agreed target date of 2013 and within the agreed €3.4 billion budget covering that phase. It is extremely important, particularly in the current fiscal situation, that large projects are efficiently managed within the budgets agreed. The Government have put this case to the Commission and will continue to do so in the future.
	The navigation programme is managed by the European Commission and funded from the EU budget. The member states do not contribute funds to the programme directly. Most decisions on the programme are taken by qualified majority voting.
	The Government continue to believe that Galileo has the potential to bring benefits to the UK, with regard to:
	the involvement of UK firms in constructing the system; andthe services that will be available to end users once the system is operational.
	However, the Government are urging the Commission to consider options for reducing the scope of the project so that it can be completed within the constraints of the budget that has been allocated to it.
	A system of reduced scope, operating fewer satellites but working in conjunction with the American GPS, would still provide many benefits to a wide range of users, particularly in terms of signal availability and resilience.
	The Commission has not made a formal request for additional funding in its mid-term review.

EU: Insurance

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of European Union proposals to prohibit insurance companies taking into account gender in setting annuity terms.

Lord Sassoon: The European Court of Justice is currently considering a case brought before it, challenging the right of insurers to use gender as a risk factor in pricing policies. In advance of the judgment, we are working with the industry and the Financial Services Authority to ensure that the industry is aware of the ongoing situation and has planned appropriately.

European Gendarmerie Force

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Gendarmerie Force may be permitted to be deployed in the United Kingdom or dependent territories.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government see no circumstances in which the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) might be deployed in the UK or in the British Overseas Territories or Crown Dependencies.
	The EGF is a multinational initiative of six countries (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Romania) aimed at improving crisis management capability in sensitive areas and supporting peacekeeping missions around the world. The UK is not part of this initiative.

Falkland Islands: Minefields

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many minefields remain in the Falkland Islands from the conflict with Argentina in 1982; how many mines are estimated to remain that were placed by British forces; and how many that were placed by Argentinian forces.

Lord Astor of Hever: Some 83 minefields and suspected hazardous areas remain in the Falkland Islands. Over 15,600 (12,300 anti-personnel and 3,300 anti-vehicle) Argentinian-laid mines are estimated to remain.
	Over 18,000 (14,000 anti-personnel and 4,000 anti-vehicle) mines are estimated to have been laid by the Argentinian armed forces in some 113 minefields and four other suspected areas during the conflict. Over 1,000 Argentinian anti-personnel, 80 anti-vehicle mines and 1,000 booby traps were cleared in 30 minefields in the immediate aftermath.
	All UK-emplaced mines in five anti-personnel minefields around the then RAF Stanley were lifted immediately after the cessation of hostilities. One Elsie C3 anti-personnel mine is unaccounted for.
	The 2009-10 pilot project cleared a further four minefields of 1,246 (678 anti-personnel and 568 anti-vehicle) mines.

Falkland Islands: Minefields

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many casualties have occurred in demining units from mine clearance operations in the Falkland Islands; and how many civilian or other casualties have resulted from accidental mine explosions since 1983 in the Falkland Islands.

Lord Astor of Hever: There were 10 mine or unexploded ordnance casualties in 1982 after the cessation of hostilities. Of these, one was killed clearing a booby-trapped missile. Of the remainder, three were listed with serious leg or hand injuries and six casualties were not listed.
	There were two incidents resulting in soldiers being listed for serious leg injuries in 1983.
	One civilian de-miner received a superficial facial injury during the 2009-10 pilot project.
	No further civilian or other casualties have resulted from accidental mine explosions since 1983.

Finance: Investors

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which institutional investors have sufficient information to engage with and approve or reject the remuneration proposals of publicly listed companies.

Baroness Wilcox: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 19 January 2011 (Official Report, col. WA35).

Finance: Retail Distribution Review

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Retail Distribution Review's proposal to treat competing business models differently over adviser charging.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Financial Services Authority about adviser firms registered in other European countries and operating in the United Kingdom which can provide financial advice without having to comply with the requirements of the Retail Distribution Review.

Lord Sassoon: The Retail Distribution Review (RDR) is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), an independent body. The FSA's rules on adviser charging as part of the RDR will apply to all firms that give investment advice to retail clients, regardless of their business models.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with the FSA on a wide number of issues, including the RDR. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussion.

Flooding: Insurance

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the reduction in public expenditure on flood prevention took into account its effect on insurance premia; and whether they plan to discuss the matter with insurers.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are in discussions with insurers and other key stakeholders about premia and wider matters relating to flood insurance.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to follow the recommendations by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in its 2007 report Public Health: Ethical Issues that "Water fluoridation policy should be objectively reviewed by the UK health departments on a regular basis in light of the findings of ongoing monitoring and further research studies. Furthermore, the conclusions and their basis should routinely be published" [7.42]; and, if so, what mechanisms have been or are being set up to achieve those aims.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 30 January 2001 (WA 55) and in respect of the guidance letter about water fluoridation from the Chief Dental Officer to Strategic Health Authorities and others (Gateway 9361) in February 2008, why (a) no reference was made under "Benefits of fluoridation" or in Appendix 1 to the York report's explicit criticisms of the quality of evidence relating to all aspects of fluoridation, and (b) there was no corresponding section "Harms of fluoridation" to address the incidence of dental fluorosis in children found by York.

Earl Howe: We will be reviewing policy in the light of the recent High Court judgment, which upheld the decision of the South Central Strategic Health Authority to fluoridate Southampton and parts of south-west Hampshire. In our review we will also consider any relevant research published since the letter that the Chief Dental Officer published in February 2008 and the comments that the noble Earl has made on the letter.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the statements on the website of the National Fluoride Information Centre that naturally and artificially fluoridated water have "exactly the same" effect upon the teeth and body, and in the February 2008 letter about water fluoridation from the Chief Dental Officer to Strategic Health Authorities and others (Gateway 9361) that "no evidence for any differences" in effect were found, take account of the article Bioavailability of Fluoride in Drinking Water: a Human Experimental Study by Maguire et al in the Journal of Dental Research (84 (11): 989-993, 2005), and the criticisms of that study by Professors Sheldon and Holgate in the same journal in January 2008 (87(1):8).

Earl Howe: This a complex area of research on which all well informed contributions are welcome, but we accept the conclusion reached by Dr Maguire and colleagues that "there was no statistically significant difference between artificially fluoridated and naturally fluoridated water".

Forestry

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 7 February (WA 20-1), whether the temporary suspension of the programme of forestry sales announced in spending review 2010 includes land in the 2010-11 sales programme agreed by the previous administration.

Lord De Mauley: The review of the criteria for the Forestry Commission's 2011-12 asset sales programme has no impact on the land that the Forestry Commission has already placed on the market. The Forestry Commission is in the process of concluding the 2010-11 sales.

Forestry Commission

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what Forestry Commission land has been sold in the past six years; and what land has been bought by or transferred into the Forestry Commission estate in that time.

Lord De Mauley: The areas of land sold by the Forestry Commission since 1 January 2005 are given in the tables below.
	
		
			 Disposals Since 1 January 2005 Hectares 
			 18.03.2005 College Heath Rd, Mildenhall Suffolk County 6 
			 01.04.2005 Ashbury Plantation, Okehampton Devon County 14 
			 05.05.2005 Dane Wood,St Leonards East Sussex County 7 
			 16.05.2005 Back Wood, Nettleton Lincolnshire County 11 
			 31.05.2005 A30 Improvement at Whimple Devon County 9 
			 13.03.2006 Nipstone Plantation, Shropshire Shropshire County 33 
			 21.04.2006 Evistones and The Roooken Northumberland County 63 
			 29.09.2006 Sparrwood Hanger and Outlier West Sussex County 12 
			 16.11.2006 Wistlandpound Reservoir Devon County 3 
			 16.11.2006 Spye Park Estate Wiltshire County 77 
			 21.12.2006 Moreton Woods, Nine Acre Plant. Devon County 10 
			 15.01.2007 Nichols Reeds Wood, Upottery Devon County 13 
			 16.01.2007 Black Bank, Bishop Auckland Durham County 16 
			 30.01.2007 A43 Bypass, Hazelborough Wood Northamptonshire County 4 
			 01.02.2007 Threestoneburn Wood Northumberland County 712 
			 09.03.2007 Hens Wood, Savernake Wiltshire County 136 
			 02.04.2007 Cleaves Wood and Horns Copse Devon County 13 
			 02.04.2007 Warthill Plantation, Hopesay Shropshire County 30 
			 02.04.2007 Heron Lye Gill and Old Barn, Yearsley North Yorkshire County 47 
			 02.04.2007 Wort and Gratton Wood Devon County 40 
			 05.04.2007 Cumberland Wood, Kenn Devon County 5 
			 10.04.2007 Woolley Wood, Youlstone, Bude Devon County. Cornwall 29 
			 10.04.2007 Higher Merryfield, Holsworthy Devon County 8 
			 10.04.2007 Rydon Moor, Holsworthy Devon County 13 
			 10.04.2007 Forda Farm, Bradworthy, Holsworthy Devon County 30 
			 10.04.2007 Runnaland Plantation, Crediton Devon County 16 
			 11.04.2007 Black Bank Plantation, Bishop Auckland Durham County 150 
			 16.04.2007 Packington Estate, Meriden Warwickshire County. Solihull 113 
			 27.04.2007 Old Larkworthy Plantation, Ashwater Devon County 20 
			 04.05.2007 Nine Acres Plantation, Upottery Devon County 9 
			 16.07.2007 Hollinwell Golf Course, Kirkby Forest Nottinghamshire County 24 
			 20.07.2007 Ogbeare Hall Woods Cornwall County 21 
			 01.08.2007 A617 Rainworth Bypass Nottinghamshire County 13 
			 02.08.2007 Blackaburn Farm, Hexham Northumberland County 16 
			 29.08.2007 Sandgates, Grovely, Wilton Wiltshire County 8 
			 06.09.2007 Flintland Batch, Bridport, Dorset Dorset County 6 
			 06.09.2007 Sherratt's Rough and Church-Hill Wood Cheshire County 15 
			 01.11.2007 Roughclose Wood, Bridport, Dorset Dorset County 5 
			 30.11.2007 East Hope Farm, The Stang Durham County 32 
			 07.12.2007 Avon Common, Hurn Dorset County 85 
			 14.12.2007 Hopton Castle, Clunbury Shropshire County 8 
			 25.01.2008 Holmsley Lodge and Shrike Cottage Hampshire County 5 
			 29.02.2008 Linn and Hope Woods, Brinkburn Northumberland County 46 
			 14.03.2008 Bishops(Brown) Down Wood, Chard Devon County. Somerset 61 
			 18.03.2008 Grindleton Fell, Gisburn Forest Lancashire County 147 
			 28.03.2008 Bere Heath Gallows Hill Dorset County 30 
			 31.03.2008 Cauldwell Rd, Thieves Wood Nottinghamshire County 3 
			 18.09.2008 Stone Pits and The Plantation Dorset County 14 
			 12.01.2009 Cuckoo Pen and The Linches, Lilford Northamptonshire County 51 
			 30.01.2009 Braydon Oak, Savernake Wiltshire County 5 
			 30.01.2009 Colebrook Wood, Kingford Devon County 7 
			 02.02.2009 Peat Pits, Wigwell Est, Alderwasley Derbyshire County 29 
			 19.02.2009 Lynch and Heathery Grange Wood Northumberland County 20 
			 20.03.2009 Woodhall Park Est, Bramfield Hertfordshire County 194 
			 20.03.2009 Balls and Hobbyhorse Wood Hertfordshire County 59 
			 24.03.2009 Ten Acre Wood East Sussex County 4 
			 25.03.2009 Woodman's Wood Hertfordshire County 22 
			 01.04.2009 The Plantation, France Oaks and Keepers Cottage Dorset County 11 
			 06.04.2009 Gratleigh Wood, High Bickington Devon County 20 
			 06.04.2009 Birsley Wood, Edlingham, Alnwick Northumberland County 36 
			 09.04.2009 The Globe, Presteigne County of Herefordshire 31 
			 16.04.2009 Knitsley Plantation, Durham Durham County 30 
			 21.04.2009 Flatropers Wood, Beckley, Rye East Sussex County 3 
			 22.04.2009 Wraby Moors, North Lindsey, Brigg North Lincolnshire 70 
			 08.05.2009 Kemphill Moor Copse, Havenstreet Isle of Wight 19 
			 02.06.2009 Stockings Spring, Latimer Estate Buckinghamshire County 6 
			 02.06.2009 Throat Wood, Brinkburn, Morpeth Northumberland County 6 
			 01.07.2009 Badland Shaw, Robertsbridge East Sussex County 4 
			 01.07.2009 Westland Spring, Latimer Estate Buckinghamshire County 6 
			 06.07.2009 Washer's and Daintry Woods, Tingrith Bedfordshire County 42 
			 15.07.2009 Pennygrove Wood, Swaile's Green East Sussex County 5 
			 26.07.2009 Harmergreen Wood, Welwyn Hertfordshire County 25 
			 31.07.2009 Lamb's Spring, Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire County 12 
			 21.09.2009 Yellowham Wood Dorset County 4 
			 05.10.2009 Stanton Park, Chippenham Wiltshire County 59 
			 13.10.2009 Sam Wood, Raskelf, York North Yorkshire County 4 
			 05.11.2009 Woodhouse Copse, East Cowes Isle of Wight 18 
			 01.12.2009 Parke Copse, Wicken Rd Northamptonshire County 18 
			 02.12.2009 The Knoll, Leominster County of Herefordshire 24 
			 14.12.2009 White Wood, Clipsham Rutland 3 
			 14.12.2009 Watercroft Wood, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire County 6 
			 17.12.2009 Sixteen Acre Wood, Ross-on-Wye County of Herefordshire 6 
			 17.12.2009 Clumber Lane End, Worksop Nottinghamshire County 11 
			 17.12.2009 Maidford Wood, Towcester Northamptonshire County 14 
			 17.12.2009 Netherwood, Aconbury County of Herefordshire 54 
			 18.12.2009 Seawell Wood, Maidford Northamptonshire County 25 
			 18.12.2009 Coughton Park and Butlers Coppice Warwickshire County 76 
			 22.12.2009 Counslow Plantation, Alton Staffordshire County 17 
			 04.01.2010 Oak Wood, Beckley,Rye East Sussex County 5 
			 22.01.2010 Cheriton Wood, Bramdean Hampshire County 93 
			 02.02.2010 Hall Wood, Pelynt, Looe Cornwall County 31 
			 05.02.2010 Ketford Wood, Dymock Gloucestershire County 47 
			 08.02.2010 Tin Mill, Wortley, Barnsley Barnsley district 9 
			 15.02.2010 The Larches, Clipsham, Rutland Rutland 8 
			 23.02.2010 Abbotts Wood Hill, Farnham Surrey County 5 
			 01.03.2010 Redmarley Wood, Ketford, Dymock Gloucestershire County 43 
			 04.03.2010 Old Park Wood, Barnsley Barnsley district 5 
			 04.03.2010 Chipstable Wood, Old Way, Taunton Somerset County 6 
			 05.03.2010 Pound Wood, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire County 6 
			 12.03.2010 Funnells Wood, Uckfield East Sussex County 76 
			 19.03.2010 Pasture Wood, Abinger Surrey County 36 
			 22.03.2010 Ash Grove (South) Wood, Amersham Buckinghamshire County 9 
			 24.03.2010 West Wood, Mordiford, Herefordshire County of Herefordshire 34 
			 25.03.2010 Stoke Wood and Pt. Rotting Wood, Whettleton Shropshire County 73 
			 26.03.2010 Sheeps Walk Plantation, Marsham, Norfolk Norfolk County 18 
			 01.04.2010 Heydon Hill, Chipstable Somerset County 4 
			 01.04.2010 Straightway Head Big Wood, Exeter Devon County 10 
			 01.04.2010 The Lings, Little Snoring Norfolk County 29 
			 01.04.2010 Gedgrave Broom, Sudbourne Suffolk County 80 
			 28.04.2010 Breaches Wood, Amersham Buckinghamshire County 5 
			 06.05.2010 Middle Hill, Chipstable Somerset County 36 
			 10.06.2010 Black Down, Dorchester Dorset County 114 
			 25.06.2010 Hugset Wood, Barnsley Barnsley district 33 
			 20.08.2010 High Wood, Uckfield East Sussex County 20 
			 08.09.2010 The Stang Durham County 71 
			 30.09.2010 Whitfield Wood, Brackley Buckinghamshire County 38 
			 07.10.2010 Pontesford Hill Shropshire County 33 
			 12.10.2010 Buslingthorpe Wood Lincolnshire County 22 
			 15.10.2010 Rigg Wood, Coniston Cumbria County 16 
			 26.10.2010 Darcliff Wood, Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire County 21 
			 29.10.2010 Swanton Novers Wood Norfolk County 172 
			 11.11.2010 Priesthay Wood, Brackley Northamptonshire County 6 
			 30.11.2010 Cutts Long Belt, Rufford Nottinghamshire County 13 
			 01.12.2010 Bonny Cliff Plantation, Faceby North Yorkshire County 62 
			 01.12.2010 High Loft Wood, Cartmel Fell Cumbria County 23 
			 03.12.2010 Croftmoor Plantation, Halwill Devon County 12 
			 07.12.2010 Annesley Friezeland Nottinghamshire County 20 
			 07.12.2010 Annesley Little Oak Plantation Nottinghamshire County 9 
			 08.12.2010 Towthorpe Wood Sand Hutton York 3 
			 08.12.2010 Canny Hill Cumbria County 27 
			 15.12.2010 Wolsingham, Stanley Beck Durham County 31 
			 17.12.2010 Ostlers Kirkby Moor and White Hall Wood Lincolnshire County 71 
			 22.12.2010 Wicken Northamptonshire County 79 
			 07.01.2011 Stockheath (Great Heath) Norfolk County 41 
			 24.01.2011 Stang-Lot 1 West and Lot 2 East Durham County 645 
			 19.01.2011 Broomrigg Cumbria County 120 
			 26.01.2011 Parkwood Lot 2 Halls Beck, Bassenthwaite Cumbria County 11 
			 11.01.2011 Scafies Wood Durham County 13 
			 03.02.2011 Cropple How Cumbria County 40 
			 01.02.2011 Alice Holt (Cobdens Copse) Hampshire County 9.00 
			 11.01.2011 Parkwood Lot 1 Park wood, Bassenthwaite Cumbria County 42 
			 10.01.2011 Sand Hutton Lot 4 Grange Wood North Yorkshire County 16 
		
	
	The acquisitions to the Forestry Commission public forest estate in the past six years are given in the table below.
	
		
			 Acquisitions since 1 January 2005 
			 14.01.2005 Linmere and Hatchmere Car Parks Cheshire County 3 
			 27.01.2005 Wood Walk, Wombwell Wood Barnsley District 11 
			 01.04.2005 Jeskyns Farm Kent County 147 
			 12.04.2005 Warren Heath Hampshire County 225 
			 22.08.2005 Balls and Hobbyhorse Wood Hertfordshire County 59 
			 30.09.2005 Moston Vale, Manchester Manchester District 18 
			 14.02.2006 Bidston Moss, Wirral Wirral District 35 
			 29.03.2006 Boundary Wood, Blidworth, Notts Nottinghamshire County 86 
			 20.06.2006 Linmere, Delamere, Cheshire Cheshire County 5 
			 23.08.2006 Cross Lane and Bidston Moss Wirral District 27 
			 13.10.2006 Livia Salford District 62 
			 30.01.2007 North East of M1, Hartwell Northamptonshire County 6 
			 15.03.2007 Silverhill (Colliery) Wood, Teversal Nottinghamshire County 115 
			 30.03.2007 Clifton Junction (Livia), Prestwich Salford District 18 
			 30.03.2007 Rochdale Rochdale District 27 
			 27.07.2007 Ingrebourne Valley, Hornchurch Greater London Authority 25 
			 07.09.2007 United Utilities Site, Livia, Prestwich Bury District 10 
			 20.12.2007 Willesley Lane, Moira Leicestershire County 74 
			 22.01.2008 Bevercotes Colliery Tip Nottinghamshire County 115 
			 07.02.2008 Red Quarry (Ibstock)St Helens St Helens District 3 
			 07.02.2008 Brickfields (Ibstock)St Helens St Helens District 3 
			 29.02.2008 Oxclose Wood (Colliery) Mansfield Nottinghamshire County 58 
			 31.03.2008 Ibstock (Daisyfield Quarry)St Helens St Helens District 5 
			 13.05.2008 Town Lane Tip, Southport Lancashire County 25 
			 18.03.2009 Bury Site (Livia), Prestwich Bury District 72 
			 19.04.2010 Carrington St and Lumns Lane, Livia Salford District 27 
			 01.06.2010 Upper Woodhead Fm, Wentworth Rd, Barnsley Barnsley District 58 
			 18.06.2010 Belfield, Chichester St, Rochdale Rochdale District 3 
			 28.06.2010 Wootton Fiztpaine Dorset County 83

Forestry Commission

Lord Clark of Windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government which forests have been sold by the Forestry Commission since 11 May 2010; what are their locations, sizes and prices of purchase; who purchased the forests; and whether there was access to them under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Lord De Mauley: The table below lists the land sold by the Forestry Commission since 11 May 2010 under the sales programme established by the previous Administration. The land sold includes freehold and leasehold land; and the table indicates which portions of land were dedicated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
	
		
			 Wood Name County Area (hectares) Price (£) Purchaser 
			 Land Dedicated Under The Countryside And Rights Of Way Act 2000 
			 The Stang County Durham 525 3,253,444 A Vincent, D M Hunter, M A Bates and J Bondi 
			 Black Down, Dorchester Dorset 114 355,000 Dorset County Council 
			 Park Wood,Bassenthwaite Cumbria 42 250,000 M Townsend and V Fyffe 
			 Cropple How Plantation, Ravenglass Cumbria 39 201,501 Paul Michael Mason 
			 Whitfield Wood, Brackley Buckinghamshire 38 353,000 Peter Wilson Humm 
			 Stanley Beck, Wolsingham Rd County Durham 31 121,500 H W and P A Bence 
			 Hoggarths Plantation, Ulverston Cumbria 27 205,000 Woodlands Investment Management 
			 High Loft Wood, Cartmel Fell Cumbria 23 156,550 M J D Cavanagh 
			 Buslingthorpe Wood Lincolnshire 22 115,908 Woodland Investment Management Ltd 
			 Rigg Wood, Coniston Cumbria 16 116,000 Michael John David Cavanagh 
			 College Wood, Biggleswade Bedfordshire 15 137,520 John Barber 
			 Croftmoor Plantation, Halwill Devon 12 98,000 Kathleen Betty Down 
			 Park Wood, Bassenthwaite Cumbria 11 150,000 James Lorrain Gattward 
			 Boxall's and Cobden's Copse Hampshire 9 111,700 Performance Strategies (UK) Ltd 
			 Priesthay Wood, Brackley Northamptonshire 6 60,100 P G and P W Turnham 
			 Land Not Dedicated Under The Countryside And Rights Of Way Act 2000 
			 Swanton Novers Wood Norfolk 172 315,000 The Right Hon. D T H Lord and Lady Hastings 
			 Broomrigg Estate, Ainstable Cumbria 120 499,950 First Stellar Forestry Fund Ltd Partnership 
			 Acton Burnell Park, Shrewsbury Shropshire 84 150,000 A K and K H N Sparkes 
			 Wicken Wood, Lillingstone Lovell Northamptonshire 78 200,000 The Merchant Venturers of the City of Bristol 
			 The Stang County Durham 71 42,000 Dale Ltd 
			 Bonny Cliff Plantation, Faceby North Yorkshire 61 40,000 J M Copeland andP Saddington 
			 Great Heath Plantation, Thursford Norfolk 41 183,667 Albanwise Ltd 
			 Hugset Wood, South Yorkshire South Yorkshire 33 150,105 P and E A Earnshaw and Evelyn Rhodes 
			 Pontesford Hill Shropshire 33 102,726 S Holland Hutchen and PAL Trustees Ltd 
			 Annesley, Friezeland Nottinghamshire 20 70,000 I P M Payne, H G Fetherstonhaugh andF Russell 
			 High Wood, Uckfield East Sussex 20 140,000 J E D Buchanan 
			 Darcliff Wood, Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire 18 75,000 The Honourable Edward Wood and Others 
			 Cutts Long Belt, Rufford Nottinghamshire 13 112,050 Geof Bower Ltd 
			 Little Oak Plantation, Annesley Nottinghamshire 9 35,000 I P Milner Payne, H G Fetherstonhaugh andF Russell 
			 Birch Plantation, Towthorpe North Yorkshire 3 8,000 G E and M D Sykes 
			 Kissthorn Wood, Sand Hutton North Yorkshire 3 35,162 Aldby Field Nurseries Ltd

Forestry Commission

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Henley on 2 February (HL Deb, col. 1407) that "something of the order of 20 per cent of the forestry estate has no access because it is on leasehold land and access was never granted to it", whether he was referring to statutory rights of access; and whether the Forestry Commission allows non-statutory public access to a majority of the leasehold land that it manages.

Lord De Mauley: The Forestry Commission allows and encourages public access to the public forest estate wherever legally and practically possible. The proportion of the public forest estate managed by the Forestry Commission that is in leasehold ownership amounts to around 23 per cent (58,000 hectares). Lord Henley was referring to statutory rights of access: less than 1,000 hectares of this leasehold land has been dedicated for access on foot in perpetuity under the provisions in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.
	For the remaining leasehold land, the Forestry Commission allows non-statutory access where possible. Approximately 30 per cent of leasehold land permits this, while 66 per cent of leasehold land has some constraints on access, which are set out in the lease. A small area has access by agreement and in some places public access is tolerated by the freeholder.

Forestry Commission

Lord Clark of Windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hectares of Forestry Commission land were sold (a) between 1979 and 1997, and (b) between 1997 and 2010; and what each amount represented as a percentage of the total Forestry Commission holding at the time.

Lord De Mauley: The public forest estate in England, Scotland and Wales managed by the Forestry Commission was treated as a single entity between 1979 and 1997. During that time the total area managed decreased by 183,300 hectares, or 14.6 per cent.
	Forestry was devolved in 1999 and the area sold in Scotland and Wales from this time is a matter for the respective administrations. Land sales in England from January 1997 to December 2010 amounted to 12,120 hectares. The Forestry Commission estimates that this represents 4.5 per cent of the January 1997 land area.

Forestry Commission

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Forestry Commission-managed land they are currently offering or negotiating for sale; for which land they intend to seek purchasers within the next four years; and what are the expected receipts.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their criteria for selecting Forestry Commission-managed land to be made available for sale in the next four years; and how much of that land is not currently forested.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed community or civil society right to buy or lease set out in section 3.3 of The Future of the Public Forest Estate in England could be exercised by (a) a principal local authority, and (b) a parish council.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how the procedure for transferring Forestry Commission land to a local community or civil society group under Chapter 4 of Part 4 of the Localism Bill would differ from such a transfer under the proposals in section 3.3 of The Future of the Public Forest Estate in England.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether clauses 17 to 19 of the Public Bodies Bill [HL] would allow the Secretary of State to make orders which could alter any provisions of the New Forest Acts, or abolish or alter any powers of the Forestry Commissioners which are set out in those Acts.

Lord De Mauley: The consultation on the future of the Public Forest Estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed. An independent panel of experts will now examine forestry policy in England and report back to Ministers in the autumn.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 they have received since 11 May 2010; how many have been complied with; and how many refused.

Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) within central government. Although data is not available showing the operation of the FOIA from 11 May 2010 to the present time, statistics for the second and third quarters of 2010 (1 April - 30 September 2010) are available on the Ministry of Justice website, and from the Printed Paper Office in the House of Lords. Statistics for the fourth quarter of 2010 (1 October - 31 December) will be published on 28 April and for subsequent periods in due course. The table below provides details of the responses to FOIA requests by departments of state in the second and third quarters of 2010.
	
		
			  Initial outcome of request 
			 Total for departments of state Total requests received (excluding on-hold and lapsed) Requests where advice and assistance provided Requests where information not held Total resolvable requests Granted in full Partially withheld Fully withheld Response not yet provided* Percentage of resolvable requests granted in full (%) Percentage of resolvable requests withheld in full (%) 
			 April-June 2010 (Q2) 6,338 497 1,259 4,582 2,775 532 946 329 61 21 
			 July-September 2010 (Q3) 7,200 516 1,197 5,487 3,133 641 1,300 413 57 24 
		
	
	* At the time quarterly data was collected by MoJ.

Government Departments: Expenditure

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they permit Government departments to convert some of their revenue budget allocations to capital allocations.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they permit Government departments to convert funds allocated for capital provision to revenue in order to fund public schemes.

Lord Sassoon: Under the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, departments may choose to switch non-ringfenced resource Departmental Expenditure Limit to capital Departmental Expenditure Limit. Under the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, departments may not switch capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to resource Departmental Expenditure Limit. Such switches would have a detrimental impact on the cyclically adjusted surplus on the Budget, which is the measure by which the Government's fiscal mandate is defined.

Government Departments: Expenditure

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will happen to the grant-in-aid underspend in 2010-11 that has been returned to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills following the closure of Enterprise UK.

Baroness Wilcox: Enterprise UK is an independent charity that has received grant-in-aid funding up to and including this financial year 2010-11. They also generate investment income and have surpluses made on sponsorship and other non-BIS funding for activities and projects.
	Some of the 2010-11 grant-in-aid not spent on agreed activities will be applied to redundancy and wind-down costs for Enterprise UK, thereby ensuring that Enterprise UK can secure continuation of key activities such as the "termer" campaign through legacy arrangements with new delivery bodies.

Government Departments: Office Supplies

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government which departments were identified in Sir Philip Green's efficiency review as paying the high price of £73 and the low price of £8 for a box of A4 paper.

Lord De Mauley: The centralised category procurement programme, run by the Efficiency and Reform Group within the Cabinet Office, has incorporated Sir Philip's recommendations on procurement, including the centralisation and aggregation of standard specific goods and services.
	Government are supportive of Sir Philip Green's efficiency review which brought to light price differentials regarding certain office supplies which were outlined in his final report. The Department of Energy and Climate Change paid the most and the Highways Agency the least for the box of paper quoted within Sir Philip's report.
	A new strategy for office supplies is in the process of being finalised with a view to be in place by summer 2011. The price differentials identified in the Green review have been rectified across the specific departments and all departments are now buying paper towards the lower prices identified.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many government departments have a finance head with accountancy qualifications.

Lord Sassoon: All government departments have officials with accountancy qualifications acting as the most senior finance professional. In all cases but one, this official sits on the departmental management board.

Government: Ministerial Visits

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries in the Arab Middle East have been visited by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills since he took office in May 2010.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not yet had the opportunity to visit the Middle East since he took office. However, this Government are committed to strengthening relations across the region, and the department pays close attention to the Middle East. In January this year, the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise visited Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan and, in February, I accompanied the Prime Minister on his visit to the region (Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman).

Government: Overseas Business Interests

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to the statement by Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint reported in the Daily Telegraph on 10 February that "We will have individual ministers held accountable for particular relationships, as it were assigned to overseas relationships with particular big exporters on a name by name basis", which ministers are so assigned to major exporters; where a list of those ministers and the exporters they are assigned to will be available for public inspection; and what measures are in place to manage any potential conflicts of interest.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Her Majesty's Government are developing their detailed plans for this work, and are currently identifying which Ministers will be assigned to lead their relationship with these companies. We are also considering what information we will make available, recognising the need to balance our commitment to transparency with the needs of commercial confidentiality. In assigning Ministers to companies, we will follow the usual procedures for handling any potential conflicts of interest.

Gulf War Illnesses

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 8 February (WA 47-8), why the Ministry of Defence spends some £9 million on research into Gulf War illnesses as they affect British veterans of the conflict compared with the $402,172,122 spent by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on the illnesses of United States veterans of the conflict.

Lord Astor of Hever: The UK Armed Forces deployed to the Gulf in 1990-91 represented about 10 per cent of the US complement and although the amount spent on research into Gulf War illnesses differs significantly, their findings are similar. The research concludes that there is no unique Gulf War Syndrome and that the use of organophosphate pesticides, anti-biological warfare vaccines and anti-nerve agent tablets is not the cause of the ill-health reported by some Gulf veterans.
	The Ministry of Defence strategy on research topics and studies has been informed by independent scientific experts nominated by the Medical Research Council, and takes account of the published peer-reviewed international literature and knowledge of international studies planned or in progress.

Health: Diabetes

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support Diabetes Week.

Earl Howe: The department is committed to raising awareness of diabetes. We are supportive of the work of Diabetes UK and recognise the importance of Diabetes Week. We are currently considering our plans for any support that we can give to Diabetes Week.

Health: Diabetes

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to World Diabetes Day.

Earl Howe: The department is committed to raising the awareness of diabetes. We are supportive of the work of the International Diabetes Federation and recognise the importance of World Diabetes Day. We will be considering our plans for any support that we can give to World Diabetes Day later in the year.

Health: Diabetes

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role played by cytotoxic T-cells in type 1 diabetes.

Earl Howe: The role played by cytotoxic T-cells in type 1 diabetes is an emerging area of research.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds a broad portfolio of diabetes research amounting to £28.1 million in 2008-09, of which £6.5 million was directly relevant to type 1 diabetes. The MRC is supporting research at the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff, led by Dr A Gallimore, which aims to determine the biological parameters that govern the activity of CD 25+ regulatory cells (a type of T-cell), thereby providing a better understanding of the development of autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and arthritis and the interaction of the immune system with cancer cells. Further information on this study and other MRC-funded research can be found at: www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm.
	In addition, the National Institute of Health Research Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London is carrying out research on antigen-specific autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes.

Health: Diabetic Retinopathy

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many retinopathy screening examinations for people with diabetes were carried out by the National Health Service in each year from 1996 to 2010.

Earl Howe: Information before 2005 was not collected centrally. The following table shows the number of patients receiving diabetic retinopathy screening in the previous 12 months 2004-05 to 2010-11.
	
		
			 12 months ending No of patients receiving screening 
			 March 2005 1,076,388 
			 March 2006 1,232,043 
			 March 2007 1,256,463 
			 March 2008 1,324,354 
			 March 2009 1,539,384 
			 March 2010 1,634,764 
			 September 2010 1,684,205 
			 December 2010 1,792,921 
		
	
	Source: Vital Signs Monitoring return

Health: Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their review of the problems of addiction to, and withdrawal from, prescribed tranquillisers and painkillers; and what action they will take.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what services they offer to sufferers of benzodiazepine addiction and withdrawal; how many primary care trusts provide those services; and in which areas.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how the National Health Service will respond in future to the needs of sufferers of combination drug addiction involving benzodiazepines; and whether methadone will play any part in that treatment.

Earl Howe: The reports commissioned to gather evidence on addiction to medicines will be published over the next couple of months. Following publication, we will be engaging widely with interested parties to determine the future direction of policy and service planning.
	The reports will include an assessment of the provision of services for those addicted to medicines including benzodiazepines.
	Methadone is licensed for use in opioid dependence, as an analgesic and as a cough suppressant. It is for clinicians to prescribe the appropriate treatment for their patients based on clinical need.

Health: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under their proposed medicines value-based pricing system, they intend to reduce the re-imbursement price of some branded medicines that are out of patent to nearer to the price of the therapeutically equivalent generic.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many countries set drug prices by reference to those in the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on pharmaceutical research and development funding of the influence the United Kingdom pharmaceutical industry has on prices of drugs in other countries.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their proposed medicines value-based pricing system on the United Kingdom's generic medicines market.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the cost of administering a medicines value-based pricing system.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in taking forward their proposals on medicines value-based pricing, they intend to introduce a co-payment system similar to value-based pricing systems in other countries.

Earl Howe: The consultation document A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines sets outs our proposals for value-based pricing. The consultation runs until 17 March 2011 and responses to the consultation will inform work to develop the new system. The impact assessment sets out an evaluation of the effects of our proposals. Copies of the consultation document and the impact assessment have already been placed in the Library.
	The impact assessment accompanying the consultation document states that pricing in as much as 25 per cent of the world pharmaceutical market includes the United Kingdom as a reference, among other countries. No assessment has been made of the influence that the UK pharmaceutical industry has on prices of drugs in other countries.
	The design of the new system will be informed by responses to our consultation A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines. Potential administration costs will be assessed as work to develop the new system progresses.
	The Government have no intention of changing the approach to prescription charges for medicines because of the proposals for value-based pricing.

Health: EEA Countries

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 3 February (WA286-7), how many United Kingdom nationals are listed as living in France; how many French nationals are listed as living in the United Kingdom for the purpose of calculating healthcare and other costs under regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009; and how the most recent annual payments by the United Kingdom to France of £203,619,890, and by France to the United Kingdom of £6,545,165, were calculated.

Earl Howe: The following tables show, for the calendar years 2009 and 2010, the number of forms issued by the United Kingdom and registered in France, and the number of forms issued by France and registered in the UK, for the purposes of receiving sickness benefits in kind under Regulation 1408/71 up until 30 April 2010, and under Regulation 883/2004 from 1 May 2010. These forms relate to state pensioners and their dependents (form E121), posted workers and their dependents, and early retirees (form E106) and the dependents of workers where they live in different member states (form E109).
	
		
			 Number of UK issued forms registered in France 
			 Calendar Year E1061 E1092 E1212 
			 2009 10034 670 45083 
			 2010 6914 440 45019 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of forms issued by France and registered in the UK 
			 Calendar year E1061 E1092 E1212 
			 2009 41 1 109 
			 2010 26 0 104 
		
	
	1. Data for registered E106s in both tables are correct as at 15 February 2011
	2. Data for registered E109s and E121s in both tables are correct as at 25 January 2011
	Payments between France and the UK were for verified and accepted claims, and also advance payments in accordance with the bilateral agreement between France and the UK. The claims for state pensioners, living in the respective countries, were based on the number of months of healthcare multiplied by the respective monthly average cost for the year in question.
	Other claims made by France against the UK are made on the basis of actual costs of treatment provided.
	Other claims made by the UK against France are currently calculated on a formula basis in accordance with the bilateral agreement with France, based on average daily healthcare costs and tourist numbers or on a ratio basis.
	Payments made in any one year will typically relate to claims for a number of previous claim years.

Health: European Health Insurance Card

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many European Health Insurance Cards issued by the Department of Health are valid for use.

Earl Howe: As at 31 December 2010, approximately 25.5 million UK-issued European Health Insurance Cards in circulation were valid for use.

Health: GP Commissioning Groups

Lord King of West Bromwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training will be available to general practitioners to enable them to take up their commissioning role.

Earl Howe: All prospective general practitioner (GP) consortia will receive a broad range of development support from their primary care trust and strategic health authority. This includes financial support as well as assigning key personnel to them who have expert skills, such as senior finance managers and people with commissioning expertise and experience. A pathfinder learning network has been established to support the development of emerging consortia and to facilitate shared learning during the transition. The National Leadership Council is also offering GP leaders of pathfinders and their teams access to a number of development tools, including personal and team coaching.

Health: Orthopaedics

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 20 January (WA 66-7), what additional work the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has been commissioned to undertake on the feasibility and scope for a quality standard for fractures, excluding those which occur at the head and the hip.

Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been asked to assess the feasibility and scope for a Quality Standard on fractures, excluding those which occur at the head and the hip. This will allow for exploration of the available evidence base and discussion with relevant parties. NICE will report on this work later in the year and a decision on whether to refer this topic to NICE for Quality Standard development will follow.
	Once a topic is referred to NICE for Quality Standard development, it is for NICE to determine the detailed content of the standard. It does so after a public consultation and within a remit set by the Secretary of State. Details of the process that NICE uses can be found on its website at: www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/qualitystandards.

Health: Pain Management

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in producing guidelines in multi-discipline pain management services; what range of skills is incorporated in their definition of multi-discipline pain management services; and whether the latest research on newer pain mechanisms and treatment options is incorporated in their advice.

Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published clinical guidelines on low back pain and the pharmacological management of neuropathic pain. The need for a clinical guideline on post-operative pain relief is currently being considered through NICE's topic selection process.
	To help local commissioners, we have asked NICE to assess the feasibility and scope for a quality standard on pain management.
	The scope and content of NICE's guidance is a matter for NICE as an independent body, and NICE has a well developed process for assessing the significance of new research and for updating its guidance as necessary.

Health: Pain Management

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many physiotherapists, osteopaths and psychologists are involved in integrated pain management services.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being take to ascertain the variation in standards of pain management services in England.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many multi-disciplinary pain management teams there are in England; and how many are available to support children with chronic pain.

Earl Howe: We do not have recent information centrally on standards of pain management services in England. Following a recommendation in the 2008 annual report of the previous Chief Medical Officer, the department is funding a National Pain Audit, which recently completed its testing phase and will be rolled out from March 2011. Its primary purpose is to stimulate local action to improve the quality and outcomes of care by presenting comparative data about the performance of National Health Service provider organisations. It will also provide a broad overview of the state of provision of chronic pain services across England and of the extent of variations in standards. Among other information, the audit will collect and analyse data on the number of health professionals in each discipline working in each chronic pain facility.

Health: Pain Management

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to highlight centres of excellence for multi-discipline pain management services in the United Kingdom; and whether they will ensure that those standards are met throughout the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: It is for local commissioners to determine how best to meet their population's needs for pain management services, in the light of their assessment of the standards of current services, professional and clinical guidance, and experience in other health communities. From April 2012, subject to parliamentary approval, it will be for the National Commissioning Board to determine what support commissioners will need to discharge their responsibilities. In the meanwhile, the long-term conditions workstream of the Quality, Improvement, Productivity and Prevention programme is producing examples of best practice in delivering community-based multidisciplinary services for managing long-term conditions such as chronic pain. The second phase of the programme, due later this year, will take forward the learning from these projects.

Health: Pharmacology

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to attract pharmaceutical research and development investment to the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The Government are committed to retaining the United Kingdom's position as a global leader in research and development. The Government are focused on creating a supportive UK business environment for pharmaceutical companies, and Ministers have continued dialogue with leaders in the pharmaceutical industry through the Ministerial Industry Strategy Group. We are working with the National Health Service and industry to improve recruitment and start-up time for clinical trials here, and we are committed to a Patent Box. In addition, life sciences, which include the pharmaceutical industry, have been identified as one of the key sectors in our growth review. UK Trade and Investment will continue to promote the benefits of undertaking pharmaceutical research and development investment to the UK.

Health: Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation and assessment has been undertaken to minimise the effects of changes to the NHS budget on funding for the provision of sickle cell and thalassaemia sufferers.

Earl Howe: No consultation and assessment has been undertaken centrally. At the time of the spending review we delivered real-terms growth in funding for the next four years, and total funding will increase by over £10 billion in cash terms by 2014-15. The majority of that funding is currently allocated to primary care trusts and it will be for the NHS locally to determine how that funding is invested in meeting the needs of, and improving outcomes for, their patients.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Lord King of West Bromwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students from (a) India, (b) Pakistan and (c) Bangladesh who entered the country to study took up their studies in 2010.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The information requested is not centrally recorded in the format required and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Lord King of West Bromwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to inform overseas students of the level of employment of students in the United Kingdom.

Lord Henley: International students come to the United Kingdom because of the high quality of our education system and to obtain a British qualification. Their primary purpose is to study and not to take up employment. In higher education, useful information is available to students and prospective students, wherever in the world they originate, on the Unistats website at unistats.direct.gov.uk/. This includes information on the percentage of students employed in graduate level jobs by institution and course of study.

Horse Racing: Equine Mortality

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the case for publishing comprehensive data on equine mortality, sickness and injury in the horse racing industry.

Lord De Mauley: The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), which is responsible for the governance and regulation of horseracing in this country, already publishes annual injury and fatality data on its website. The BHA records and monitors falls and injuries sustained on racecourses and analyses information relating to fatal injuries to determine if those accidents can be prevented. This allows the BHA to take action if necessary, including implementing long-term strategies and veterinary research programmes to help reduce the risk of injury and death.
	Horses are protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 throughout their lives, which means that their owners, and those responsible for their care, have a duty to protect their welfare at all times.

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider proposing an amendment to the European Convention on Human Rights to increase the margin of appreciation allowed to national governments.

Lord McNally: The margin of appreciation afforded to Governments in the national implementation of the convention rights is not itself defined in the convention; it is instead to be found in the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and can vary from right to right, from case to case, and over time. Where appropriate in proceedings before the Court, the Government argue for the United Kingdom to be afforded a broad margin of appreciation.
	The Government are committed to supporting and building on the process of court reform under way in Strasbourg. As part of the reform process, the Government would wish to see a strengthening of the principle of subsidiarity; that is, that the convention should principally be implemented at a national level. The Government will work with other member states of the Council of Europe and the Court to find ways to give further practical effect to this principle in the convention system.

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what judgments finding a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights by the United Kingdom have been made by a chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in the last five years; what were the subjects involved; and which of those cases they asked to be referred under article 43 to the Grand Chamber of the Court because they raised a serious issue affecting the interpretation or application of the Convention or its protocols, or a serious issue of general importance.

Lord McNally: The following table is drawn from the annual reports of the European Court of Human Rights. For each of the calendar years 2006 to 2010, it shows the total number of judgments delivered by the European Court of Human Rights, whether by a Chamber or the Grand Chamber, in cases against the United Kingdom in which it found one or more violations of the convention. It also shows the total number of violations found against the United Kingdom for each calendar year categorised by the elements of the convention. As one judgment may find multiple violations, these may add up to more than the number of judgments.
	Between 2006 and 2010, the Government sought referral to the Grand Chamber of the Court under Section 43 in connection with five cases, which were Al Khawaja and Tahery, Pye, Al Saadoon and Mufhdi, Gillan and Quinton, and Clift.
	
		
			 Article Violation 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 2 Right to life, deprivation of life - - - - - 
			 2 Lack of effective investigation - 5 - - - 
			 3 Prohibition of torture - - - - - 
			 3 Inhuman or degrading treatment - - 1 - 2 
			 4 Prohibition of slavery/forced labour - - - - - 
			 5 Right to liberty and security 1 1 2 3 1 
			 6 Right to a fair trial 3 3 - 1 - 
			 6 Length of proceedings 1 1 1 2 1 
			 7 No punishment without law - - - - - 
			 8 Right to respect for private and family life 2 2 3 2 5 
			 9 Freedom of thought, conscience and religion - - - - - 
			 10 Freedom of expression - - - 1 - 
			 11 Freedom of assembly and association 1 1 - - - 
			 12 Right to marry - - - - 1 
			 13 Right to an effective remedy - - 1 - 4 
			 14 Discrimination in protection of rights 6 6 21 7 4 
			 P 1- I Protection of property - - - - - 
			 P1-2 Right to education - - - - - 
			 P1-3 Right to free elections - - - - 1 
			  Other Articles of the Convention - - - - 1 
			 Total judgments finding at least one violation 10 19 27 14 14

Immigration: Deportation

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which voluntary charitable organisations they work with in caring for children facing deportation from the United Kingdom.

Lord De Mauley: On 16 December 2010 the Government set out our proposals for ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. These were developed in consultation with a wide range of voluntary sector organisations, especially through two working groups chaired by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Citizens UK respectively. The proposals entail a fresh approach to managing the return of families with children who have no right to be in the UK and we have made clear our commitment to working closely with voluntary sector organisations in putting them into practice, including through direct work with families where appropriate. We are currently preparing for the implementation of those proposals and are exploring how best this can be done.

Immigration: Detainees

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children were detained for immigration purposes in (a) January 2000, (b) January 2009, (c) January 2010, and (d) January 2011.

Lord De Mauley: Information on children entering detention in January 2000 is not available, and figures for January 2011 will be published on 24 February 2011. There were 133 children who entered detention, solely under Immigration Act powers, in January 2009 and 93 in January 2010.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of children entering detention, solely under Immigration Act powers, on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	Q4 2010 and January 2011 figures will be available on 24 February 2011.

Immigration: Detainees

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children are presently detained for immigration purposes.

Lord De Mauley: The latest published information shows there were five children detained, solely under Immigration Act powers, as at 30 September 2010.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of children in detention, solely under Immigration Act powers, on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	Q4 2010 figures, including children detained as at 31 December 2010, will be available on 24 February 2011.

India

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 9 February (HL6008), what help they are giving to women in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: Breaking the cycle of poverty for the poorest women and girls in India's poorest states will be a major focus of the UK's future aid programme in India. We will focus mainly on three of the poorest states: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Women in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have benefited from some national programmes on women's empowerment, health, education, AIDS and tuberculosis, supported by the Department for International Development.

Inflation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which current negative real rates of interest comply with the Bank of England's remit to target a two per cent consumer prices index inflation rate.

Lord Sassoon: As stated in a letter in May 1997 from the then Chancellor to the Governor, the Bank has operational responsibility for setting short-term nominal interest rates, or Bank Rate, to achieve the inflation target. The Governor of the Bank of England is required to write an open letter of explanation to the Chancellor every three months that inflation is above the 2 per cent target. Open letters between the Government and Chancellor were published on 15 February 2011.

Inflation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to redefine the inflation target given to the Bank of England to exclude sources of inflation which cannot be controlled by monetary policy .

Lord Sassoon: The Chancellor confirmed in the June 2010 Budget that the independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England will continue to target 2 per cent inflation, as measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index.

Inflation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers the Bank of England has to affect current levels of inflation; and what action, if any, they plan to take to increase its powers.

Lord Sassoon: The operational responsibilities of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England to maintain price stability are detailed in the Bank of England Act 1998. In addition, as stated in a letter in May 1997 from the then Chancellor to the Governor, the Bank has operational responsibility for setting short-term nominal interest rates (the Bank Rate), to achieve the inflation target set by the Government.
	The framework for the Asset Purchase Facility, which enables it to be used as a monetary policy tool, was set out in the exchange of letters on 17 February and 3 March 2009 between the Governor and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The framework requires the Chancellor to authorise the overall limit on asset purchases. The Treasury specifies the monetary policy remit at least every 12 months, as required by the Bank of England Act 1998.

Insolvency Act 1986

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to update section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to include information technology services, computer software and accounting software to reflect the prominence of that technology in business operations.

Baroness Wilcox: This Government have not carried out an assessment as to whether Section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 should be updated. Any move to include such supplies would of course have implications for the suppliers themselves and would need to be carefully considered in this context. The Government are aware of the recent campaign launched by the Association of Business Recovery Professionals on the subject of termination clauses and Section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986, and government officials will be discussing this issue with the main stakeholder groups in the near future to explore the level of support and the implications of any change to the existing law.

Jobcentre Plus: Electronic Communication

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 7 February (WA 27-8), whether they have considered using text-messaging to inform JobcentrePlus customers of vacancies.

Lord Freud: Jobcentre Plus introduced an SMS text service in January 2011. The use of the application to notify customers about job opportunities will be piloted in areas of Glasgow, the south-west and Yorkshire and Humber during March. The pilots will assess the success of this approach and this will inform decisions on national implementation.

Jobcentre Plus: Staff

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the productivity targets, and accompanying guidance, for interviewing clients at Jobcentre Plus.

Lord Freud: Jobcentre Plus had six national targets for the year 2010-11 which focus on quality interventions, customer service, employer engagement, job outcomes and the reduction of fraud and error. However, from October 2010 this was reduced to three, as Jobcentre Plus moved towards establishing the new performance management framework for 2011-12. The targets that were removed primarily measured process rather than focusing on outcomes.
	Jobcentre Plus managers do have internal productivity benchmarks which do cover the number of customers interviewed in jobcentres, the number of claims processed or average length of telephone calls. These benchmarks are averages and are used alongside other management data on quality and resources.
	As we do not have any productivity targets for interviewing clients, there is no accompanying guidance.

Justice: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many cases in which individuals have been found to have been victims of miscarriages of justice, including those who have won a first appeal or been found not guilty at trial, Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has investigated the grounds for, and the actions of, the Crown Prosecution Service proceeding with those prosecutions since the inception of the Miscarriages of Justice Support Service or the Miscarriages of Justice Project; and whether they will place copies of any relevant reports in the Library of the House.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The role of Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) is to enhance the quality of justice through independent inspection and assessment of prosecution services and, in doing so, improve their effectiveness and efficiency.
	Although HMCPSI examines a range of cases as part of its normal inspection process, it does not investigate and report on individual cases unless, exceptionally, a case is referred to HMCPSI by the Attorney-General using statutory powers for matters intended for cases of general public concern. However, as a rule HMCPSI is not an investigative body.
	HMCPSI has undertaken two recent reviews at the request of the Law Officers. Details of these reviews are outlined below:
	A review of the investigation and criminal proceedings relating to the Jubilee Line case (Pursuant to a Reference by the Attorney General under Section 2(l)(b) of the Crown Prosecution Inspectorate Act 2000), published June 2006. The review is available on the HMCPSI website.
	A review to ascertain the circumstances in which Anthony Leon Peart, also known as Anthony Leon Joseph came to be at liberty on 29 July 2005, published February 2008. The review is available on the HMCPSI website.

Justice: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they complied with article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to the victims, children and dependent relatives who were the subject of miscarriages of justice, including those who have won a first appeal or been found not guilty at trial; and what such cases there have been since 2000.

Lord McNally: Article 14 (6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the UK has signed, sets out the circumstances in which compensation should be paid in cases of miscarriages of justice. The UK incorporated the article in domestic law through Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
	Compensation is paid under Section 133 where a conviction is quashed at an out-of-time appeal, or following reference to the appeal court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, on the basis that a new or newly discovered fact shows beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice. Ministers decide whether an applicant is entitled to compensation under Section 133. For those applicants who are to receive compensation, it is then for an independent assessor to decide how much should be paid, based on claims of loss from the applicant. It is open to an applicant to make a claim in relation to his or her own Article 8 rights-for example, loss of family life. Section 133 fully meets our international obligations to pay compensation in cases of miscarriages of justice.
	The statistics requested are not available in the format sought. However, the Ministry of Justice publication Judicial and Court Statistics 2009 can be accessed via the department's website at: www.justice. gov.uk/publications/judicialandcourtstatistics.htm. Tables 4.7 and 4.8 give details of Crown Court disposals by verdict and table 7.7 gives details of the decisions of the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.

Lloyds Banking Group

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 31 January (WA 233), what steps they have taken to confirm that President al-Bashir or individuals or entities associated with him do not have US$ 9 billion in bank accounts held by or known to the Lloyds Banking Group.

Lord Sassoon: Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) has assured HM Treasury that it has conducted its own internal investigation into the claim that President al-Bashir holds accounts with the group and is confident that the group does not hold any account for Mr al-Bashir or any individuals or entities associated with him. The Financial Services Authority has reviewed LBG's internal investigation report and has not raised any further concerns.

Low Value Consignment Relief

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the European Commission are responsible for preventing distortions of competition arising from the low value consignment relief regime.

Lord Sassoon: Article 23 of directive 2009/132/EC, which provides relief from VAT for imports of negligible value, does not impose a binding legal requirement to prevent distortion of competition in the context of low value consignment relief. However, member states are primarily responsible for monitoring the operation of low value consignment relief.

Medical Research Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they gave to the Medical Research Council in each of the past three years; and what conditions they attached to the funding.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government's allocation to the Medical Research Council (MRC) in each of the past three years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 FY 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 £m 605.538 658.472 707.025 
		
	
	The MRC utilises its funding in accordance with its delivery plan (see www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord /index.htm?d=MRC007642). MRC operates within this strategic framework but takes its own decisions on research priorities and projects in accordance with the Haldane principle.

Medical Research Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the chairman of the Medical Research Council; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what his or her career has been to date.

Baroness Wilcox: The chairman of the Medical Research Council (MRC) is Sir John Chisholm, FREng, CEng, FLEE, who took up his appointment on 1 October 2006. A full account of his qualifications and career details to date are published on the MRC website at www.mrc.ac.uk/About/Structure/Council/Chairman/index.htm.

Medical Research Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the chairman of the Medical Research Council was selected; by whom; what process was followed in his or her selection; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the position; how many were short-listed for interview; how candidates were appraised; what criteria were adopted for the appointment; and whether candidates' views on (a) abortion, (b) reproductive rights and reproductive health, (c) embryo experimentation, and (d) stem cell research, were sought.

Baroness Wilcox: The position of chairman of the Medical Research Council was advertised in the Sunday Times on 11 September 2005 and the successful candidate took up the post from 1 October 2006. The process was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of the Commissioner of Public Appointments. Under the terms of the council's royal charter, the selection was made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
	Seventeen applications were received with four candidates invited to interview, although one subsequently withdrew. Candidates were appraised against the criteria in the role and person specification published at the time to assess their suitability for the role. Candidates' views on abortion, reproductive rights and reproductive health, embryo experimentation and stem cell research were not sought as part of the selection process.

Mental Health

Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the National Institute for Health Research research budget was spent on mental health in the last year for which figures are available.

Earl Howe: In 2009-10, 4.2 per cent of the National Institute for Health Research revenue budget was spent on mental health research.

Ministry of Defence: Police

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the anticipated impact on the Ministry of Defence Police of their plans to cut the Ministry's civilian force by a third.

Lord De Mauley: A range of options for the Ministry of Defence's future requirement for civil policing services is currently under consideration. No final decisions have yet been taken.

National Insurance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many national insurance numbers are in existence; how many were cancelled or withdrawn in the past three years; and whether they assessed the efficacy of checking applicants for such numbers against birth records and arranging for their cancellation or non-issue on death registration.

Lord Freud: The latest available figures (Feb 2011) show a total of 83.36 million national insurance number (NINo) records on the department's customer information system (CIS). These consist of:
	63.73 million live NINo accounts; and19.63 million NINo accounts with a date of death applied.
	The Department for Work and Pensions does not withdraw or cancel NINos once they have been allocated except in very limited circumstances. This is because a NINo, even if used only for a limited period, links an individual to their national insurance contributions record which may be relevant in any future claim to benefits or state pension. In the case of deceased individuals, a partner may make a claim for a contributory benefit, which is dependent on the contribution record of the deceased individual.
	A NINo would be withdrawn if it were established that a customer had been inaccurately allocated with more than one number. In these circumstances the NINo allocated in error is retained but is marked to ensure it cannot be used by any other person.
	A NINo is cancelled if it is established that an account has been created as a result of an administrative error during the NINo allocation process prior to any notification to the customer.
	Figures for the past three full years are in the table:
	
		
			 Volumes in relation to withdrawn or cancelled NINo accounts 
			 Year Number of cases 
			 2008 1022 
			 2009 908 
			 2010 1101 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures provided are from the Customer Information (Live) Database in February 2011 and are subject to rounding. The figures are Management Information (MI) collected for the purpose of managing DWP business, and therefore have not been subject to the rigorous quality assurance that is applied to DWP official statistics.
	The majority of UK nationals receive a NINo automatically from HMRC shortly before their 16th birthday. This is as a consequence of a successful claim to child benefit. In validating claims to child benefit, HMRC confirms the identity of the child or children in question, including checking birth certificates, before making an award. This includes checks against databases of lost and stolen birth certificates.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has the responsibility for the allocation of national insurance numbers to adults.
	The department undertakes rigorous checks on the identity of all adult national insurance number applicants. This involves document examination checks to ensure the authenticity of any documentary evidence provided such as passports or foreign national identity card, corroborative checks with third parties (including other government departments) and only when it is satisfied with the identity of an individual will a number be allocated.
	Upon the death of an individual, DWP receives automatic updates from the General Register Offices (GAO) of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on a daily basis. DWP undertakes a rigorous matching process against the updates received from the GROs to ensure that DWP records are annotated with the date of death. Any subsequent claim to benefit using that NINo would be subject to close scrutiny and, if appropriate, be referred to DWP's Fraud Investigation Service.

NHS: Staff

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff are being made redundant in each London primary care trust; and what is the estimated cost of those redundancies.

Earl Howe: This information is not collected centrally. The noble Lord may wish to contact the London Strategic Health Authority directly for estimated figures.

Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord McNally on 24 January (Official Report, col. 677), whether there was a commitment in the Belfast agreement to establish by legislation a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland or to seek advice on the matter; and whether Northern Ireland will be excluded from the proposed British Bill of Rights and responsibilities and have a separate Bill of Rights.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Belfast agreement states that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will be invited to consult and to advise on the scope for defining, in Westminster legislation, rights supplementary to those in the European Convention on Human Rights to reflect the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland, and these additional rights, together with the ECHR, to constitute a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The joint declaration of 2003 also states that, after consultation with the parties, the British Government are committed to bringing forward legislation at Westminster where required to give effect to rights supplementary to the ECHR to reflect the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland.
	Separately, the Government are committed to the establishment of a commission to investigate the creation of a UK Bill of Rights that incorporates and builds on all our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, ensures that these rights continue to be enshrined in British law, and protects and extends British liberties. The Government will make a Statement to Parliament on the terms of reference of the commission in due course. The Government believe that a UK Bill of Rights could be an appropriate legislative vehicle for any additional rights specific to Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have approved the creation of the post of Director of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and its salary range of £58,200 to £117,800; why the post of chief executive was abolished; what are the difference in duties and salary between it and the director; what was the redundancy payment made to the last chief executive; and what reduction in funding has been agreed with the commission by the Northern Ireland Office.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: On the matter of the post of director of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given on 16 and 29 November (Official Report, cols. WA 198 and WA 415). The appointment of staff is an operational matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, which operates independently of government. The noble Lord may wish to write to the commission directly on this matter.
	On the matter of funding, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 15 December 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 199). The Northern Ireland Office budget, including that part of the budget that supports arm's-length bodies, will reduce by 25 per cent in real terms across the four years of the spending review period. The Northern Ireland Office is currently working with all its sponsored bodies, including the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, to agree future budget allocations in light of the outcomes from the spending review.

Overseas Aid: Women

Baroness D'Souza: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the Department for International Development's funding for projects in Afghanistan has been allocated to projects to support women's organisations and activities in the past 12 months; and what are the details of the projects so supported.

Baroness Verma: The UK Government are placing women at the heart of the whole of our agenda for international development. All the Department for International Development's (DfID's) programmes take account of their impact on women and girls in their design and implementation. DfID has supported a number of programmes that directly benefit women's organisations and activities in Afghanistan over the past year. For example, our support to the International Planned Parenthood Foundation and WOMANKIND Worldwide is supporting civil society organisations in Afghanistan to address the human rights and practical needs of women and girls.
	DfID has also committed £12 million from 2010-11 to 2012-13 to the Afghanistan rural enterprise development programme, implemented by the Afghan Ministry for Rural Rehabilitation Development. The programme has a gender equality strategy, which has helped to ensure that men and women participate almost equally in project-supported activities.

Police: Protest Groups

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will address the recommendation made in 2009 by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary that the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office and the National Policing Improvement Agency should agree a set of principles on the use of force that cover all circumstances of policing, especially the policing of protests.

Lord De Mauley: The Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) have agreed a set of principles on the use of force that covers the policing of protests. These are set out in the revised ACPO manual on public order policing published in December 2010. The Home Office will continue to work with ACPO and NPIA to ensure that this position complements the principles on the police use of force articulated in other areas of police guidance, training and learning where the use of force is pertinent.

Police: Protest Groups

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the statement by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in its 2011 review that "protests escalated to include violence against officers on the ground and attacks on iconic buildings", what is their assessment of any trend in protests becoming more violent or disruptive.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government share the assessment of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) that there has been an increase in protest activity in size, frequency and spread across the United Kingdom. The Government will continue to work with the police to assess threats and risks of public disorder going forward and agree with HMIC's assessment that the police must be ready to adapt to swiftly changing circumstances and real-time events.

Prisoners: Methadone

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners are being prescribed methadone.

Earl Howe: Data are not collected centrally on the number of prisoners receiving methadone prescriptions. However, data are available on the combined total of substitution treatments for both methadone and buprenorphine for treating heroin dependence in prisons. In 2009-10 there were 60,067 treatments, of which 36,323 were detoxifications and 23,744 were longer-term maintenance treatments. The data show the number of treatments prescribed but not actual prisoner numbers.
	Information on actual prisoner numbers receiving methadone prescriptions is available from spot survey data. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse and the Department applied to the Review of Central Returns to collect these data last year. Data collection will begin shortly, and this information will be available later in the year.

Prisoners: Transfers

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many countries have a prisoner transfer agreement with the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have a prisoner transfer agreement with the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign nationals given custodial sentences in the United Kingdom were transferred to another country in each year from 1990 to 2010; and to which countries they were transferred.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British citizens given custodial sentences abroad were transferred to the United Kingdom in each year from 1990 to 2010; and from which countries they came.

Lord McNally: The United Kingdom is a party to prisoner transfer agreements with 108 countries and territories. The countries and territories with which the United Kingdom has prisoner transfer agreements are listed below.
	
		
			 Territories with which the United Kingdom has Prisoner Transfer Agreements 
			 Albania France Netherlands 
			 America Georgia Nicaragua 
			 Andorra Germany Nigeria 
			 Anguilla Ghana Norway 
			 Antigua and Barbuda Greece Pakistan 
			 Armenia Grenada Panama 
			 Australia Hong Kong Peru 
			 Austria Honduras Poland 
			 Azerbaijan Hungary Portugal 
			 Bahamas Iceland Russia 
			 Barbados India Romania 
			 Belgium Ireland Rwanda 
			 Bermuda Israel Samoa 
			 Bolivia Italy San Marino 
			 Bosnia Herzegovina Japan Serbia 
			 Brazil Korea Slovakia 
			 British Virgin Island Latvia Slovenia 
			 Bulgaria St Laos Spain 
			 Canada Lesotho Sri Lanka 
			 Chile Libya Lucia 
			 Cook Islands Liechtenstein Suriname 
			 Costa Rica Lithuania Sweden 
			 Croatia Luxembourg Switzerland 
			 Cuba Macedonia Thailand 
			 Cyprus Malawi Tonga 
			 Czech Republic Malta Trinidad and Tobago 
			 Denmark Mauritius Turkey 
			 Ecuador Mexico Ukraine 
			 Egypt Moldova Venezuela 
			 Estonia Montenegro Vietnam 
			 Finland Morocco Vietnam 
		
	
	
		
			 Territories that have Prisoner Transfer Agreements with the UK 
			 Aruba Henderson, Ducie and Oeno 
			 Bouvet Island Montserrat 
			 British Indian O.T. Peter I Island 
			 Cayman Islands Pitcairn 
			 Dutch Antilles Queen Maud Land Faroe Islands 
			 Falkland Islands St Helena and Dependencies 
			 Gibraltar Sovereign Base Areas of Akratri and Dhekelia (Cyprus) 
		
	
	Prior to 2007, the National Offender Management Service did not separately record the states to which prisoners were transferred from England and Wales to continue serving a sentence of imprisonment. The table below sets out the number of prisoners transferred to other countries to continue serving their sentences of imprisonment in the calendar years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
	
		
			 Country 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Austria - - - 1 
			 Australia 3 1 - 1 
			 Belgium 10 5 1 2 
			 Canada - 3 - 1 
			 Curacao - 1 - - 
			 Cyprus 2 - - 1 
			 Czech Republic - - 1 1 
			 Dutch Antilles 5 - - - 
			 France 3 5 2 - 
			 Germany 2 - 4 - 
			 Ghana - - 1 1 
			 Italy 1 - - - 
			 Lithuania 1 - - 4 
			 Macedonia - 1 - - 
			 Netherlands 75 42 25 24 
			 Norway 2 - - - 
			 Pakistan - - - 4 
			 Poland 1 1 - 3 
			 Portugal - - - 2 
			 Republic of Ireland 5 4 1 - 
			 Slovenia - - 1 1 
			 Spain 2 3 1 - 
			 Switzerland 1 1 - - 
			 Turkey 1 2 4 2 
		
	
	The table below sets out the number of prisoners transferred from a foreign jurisdiction to England and Wales to continue serving their sentences of imprisonment in the last four calendar years.
	
		
			 Country 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Austria - 1 - - 
			 Australia 3 1 - 1 
			 Belgium - - 1 1 
			 Brazil - - 1 2 
			 Costa Rica - 2 2 1 
			 Cyprus 2 2 5 5 
			 Ecuador - 1 - - 
			 France - - 1 4 
			 Germany 1 2 2 1 
			 Ghana - - 2 3 
			 Grenada 1 - - 3 
			 Hong Kong - 2 2 2 
			 India - 2 1 - 
			 Japan 7 8 3 3 
			 Laos - - 1 1 
			 Luxembourg - - 1 - 
			 Mexico - 2 -  
			 Morocco - 1 1  
			 Netherlands 6 - - 1 
			 Norway - - 1 1 
			 Panama - 1 - 1 
			 Portugal 2 - - 1 
			 Republic of Ireland 9 2 8 14 
			 Romania - - 1  
			 Slovakia - - - 1 
			 Spain 12 10 17 22 
			 South Korea - 1 -  
			 Sweden 2 - 2 2 
			 Switzerland 1 - - - 
			 Thailand 4 1 4 4 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 6 2 2 8 
			 Turkey - - - 2 
			 USA 10 8 4 5 
			 Venezuela 2 6 2 - 
		
	
	Prisoner transfer arrangements are a devolved matter. The transfer of prisoners to and from Scotland and to and from Northern Ireland is a matter for the relevant devolved Administration.

Prostitution

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government who attended the Government roundtable to develop policy on prostitution held on 14 February; whether other meetings of that group will be scheduled; and why the English Collective of Prostitutes was not invited.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The roundtable was chaired by the Home Secretary and also attended by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities and Criminal Information. A range of organisations were represented including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and organisations working with people involved in prostitution. Other meetings of this group may be scheduled to discuss future policy issues as they arise.
	The meeting was limited to a small number of organisations for the purposes of an initial discussion on prostitution policy. These organisations provided a range of experience and perspectives. It was not possible to invite every organisation that has experience of and an interest in prostitution policy but we will seek to include all such organisations, as appropriate, in the development of policy in this area.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons in England and Wales were convicted of an offence under Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each year since 1998.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons in England and Wales were (a) imprisoned, and (b) fined, for an offence under Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each year since 1998.

Lord McNally: The number of persons found guilty at all courts, and the number of persons sentenced and given a fine, custodial sentence or other disposal under Section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in England and Wales, 1998 to 2009 (latest available) is shown in the table below.
	Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
	
		
			 Number of persons found guilty at all courts, sentenced and given a fine, custodial sentence or other disposals under Section 2(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales, 1998.2009(2)(3) 
			 Outcome 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Found guilty 2,221 2,753 2,933 2,806 2,864 3,020 3,348 3,635 3,768 3,745 3,931 4,365 
			 Total sentenced(5) 2,224 2,745 2,934 2,813 2,868 3,033 3,344 3,678 3,789 3,770 3,939 4,377 
			 of which 
			 Fine 512 577 630 572 528 579 618 547 438 403 471 489 
			 Immediate custody 245 310 329 307 311 307 348 335 377 424 519 565 
			 Other disposals 1,467 1,858 1,975 1,934 2,029 2,147 2,378 2,796 2,974 2,943 2,949 3,323 
		
	
	(1) The following statutes were used for the corresponding offence:
	Racially aggravated offence of harassment
	Religiously aggravated offence of harassment
	Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment
	Offence of harassment
	(2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	(4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008.
	(5) The sentenced column may exceed those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year.
	Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Questions for Written Answer

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury will ensure that when it requests the Financial Services Authority or another agency to write to a member answering a Question for Written Answer, that answer is published in the Official Report.

Lord Sassoon: Treasury Ministers ensure that the department and its associated bodies report to Parliament in the appropriate way, according to the status of the individual entities. As was the practice under the previous Government, the Government currently request that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) write to a Member to answer any Parliamentary Question that falls under the FSA's area of responsibility. Mindful of the FSA's independence, HM Treasury will consider whether any changes should be made to this process.

Railways: Northern Rail Franchise

Lord Shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 8 February (WA 52), what is the number of passengers forecast for the Northern Rail franchise in (a) 2012, (b) 2014, (c) 2016, (d) 2018, and (e) 2020; what is the earliest date between 2011 to 2020 when extra rolling stock will be available for use by Northern Rail; and by which year they forecast that passenger overcrowding on Northern Rail will fall significantly.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport has not forecast the numbers of passengers for the Northern Rail franchise in its entirety, for the years requested.
	Additional vehicles are due to be introduced to the Northern franchise by December 2011.
	The department has not undertaken detailed forecasting of when passenger crowding on the Northern franchise might decline. However, bidders for the new franchise will be required to undertake comprehensive demand forecasting. Bids will be assessed in part on the quality of proposals to manage crowding.

Remploy

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain or increase the level of employment in Remploy factories throughout the United Kingdom.

Lord Freud: There are currently around 3,000 employees in Remploy's factories. The Government confirmed in the autumn that Remploy's operational budget for the current five-year modernisation plan remains protected at £555 million. The offer of voluntary redundancies to all staff working in Remploy factories and central services is a decision made by Remploy management to help the continuing operation of the businesses within that budget and to help ensure all employees have meaningful work. The total number of people who choose to take up this offer will not be confirmed until the exercise is complete.
	In December 2010, the Minister for Disabled People announced an independent review and call for evidence of the support that the Government provide to disabled people who want to work. This review also covers the work of Remploy and is being led by Liz Sayce, chief executive of the disability network RADAR. This review provides an opportunity for trade unions, disabled people and disability organisations to submit evidence to inform the development of our future strategy. This call for evidence will close on 28 February.

Republic of Ireland: Financial Support

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total amount of the recent bilateral loan to the Republic of Ireland; how much of it has been drawn; what is the interest rate; whether the interest rate is open to renegotiation; and on which date the first interest payment is due.

Lord Sassoon: A total of f3.227 billion is available to lend to Ireland. The loan cannot be drawn until after the approval of the third quarterly review of Ireland's Memorandum of Understanding with the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission. The interest rate on each tranche will be at a rate set by adding a margin of 2.29 per cent to the sterling 7.5 year swap rate at the time of disbursement. The terms of the loan cannot be amended without agreement from both parties. The first interest payment will be due six months after the first tranche of the loan is drawn.

Royal British Legion

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Royal British Legion about alleged breaches of the military covenant; and what action they are taking.

Lord Astor of Hever: We are in regular contact with the Royal British Legion across a wide range of issues, including the Government's commitment to rebuild the covenant. In addition, the director-general of the Royal British Legion is a member of the External Reference Group, which monitors the Government's work to support the Armed Forces community.

Schools: GCSEs

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of entrants in English schools were awarded A* to C grades by each of the examination boards at GCSE in (a) 1995, (b) 2000, (c) 2005, and (d) 2010.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The figures requested for 1995 and 2010 are presented in the table below. Figures for 2000 and 2005 are only available at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Number of GCSE examinations entered and percentage of entries awarded grades A*-C by examination board, 1995 and 2010 
			 Exam board and year Number of GCSE entries Percentage of entries awarded grades A*-C 
			 1995   
			 NEA (Northern Examining Association) 1,503,494 52% 
			 SEG (Southern Examining Group) 946,004 52% 
			 MEG (Midland Examining Group) 1,270,919 52% 
			 LEAG (London and East Anglian Examining Group) 757,518 54% 
			 WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) 44,907 50% 
			 NISEAC (Northern Ireland Schools Examination Council) 77 34% 
			 RSA (Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board) 2,244 49% 
			 City and Guilds London Institute/Pitman 1,445 27% 
			 2010   
			 Edexcel 1,028,588 70% 
			 WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) 273,552 68% 
			 CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) 22,496 71% 
			 OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) 984,942 72% 
			 AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) 2,323,351 72% 
		
	
	Note: Figures for 1995 cover full GCSEs entered by pupils aged 15 and for 2010 cover full GCSEs entered by pupils at the end of key stage 4.

Schools: GCSEs

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in English schools were entered by each of the examination boards for the GCSE in (a) mathematics, (b) geography, (c) history, (d) French, and (e) German, in (1) 1995, (2) 2000, (3) 2005, and (4) 2010.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The figures requested for 1995 and 2010 are presented in the table below. Figures for 2000 and 2005 are available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Number of GCSE examinations entered in selected subjects by examination board, 1995 and 2010 
			 Exam board and year Entries in mathematics Entries in geography Entries in history Entries in French Entries in German 
			 1995  
			 NEA (Northern Examining Association) 76,225 72,032 42,763 154,953 65,487 
			 SEG (Southern Examining Group) 138,658 52,609 39,354 51,588 14,875 
			 MEG (Midland Examining Group) 163,670 98,288 94,021 79,917 31,212 
			 LEAG (London and East Anglian Examining Group) 128,411 25,039 41,796 22,788 7,326 
			 WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) 1,643 5,043 1 0 0 
			 NISEAC (Northern Ireland Schools Examination Council) 8 0 0 0 0 
			 2010  
			 Edexcel 350,520 21,890 53,371 43,643 18,304 
			 WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) 1,425 4,492 5,918 5,765 2,226 
			 CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) 38 4 52 3 0 
			 OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) 76,610 70,698 83,507 27,231 10,425 
			 AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) 164,213 71,960 55,086 83,680 34,769 
		
	
	Note: Figures for 1995 cover full GCSEs entered by pupils aged 15 and for 2010 cover full GCSEs entered by pupils at the end of key stage 4.

Schools: Teachers

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers were recruited between 2000 and 2010.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The following table provides the number of qualified teachers entering regular service in local authority maintained schools in England, March 2000-01 to March 2008-09, the latest information available. These figures exclude academies.
	
		
			 Headcount of qualified teacher entrants to service in local authority maintained school1 
			 Years: 2000-01 to 2008-09 
			 Coverage: England 
			  2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Total entrants between 2000-01 to 2008-09 
			 Full-time   
			 Entrants to full-time teaching in the maintained schools sector   
			 Newly qualified entrants3 16,780 18,330 20,790 22,400 22,350 24,740 23,610 23,480 22,610 195,100 
			 New to maintained sector4 7,060 7,500 6,150 5,510 7,670 6,130 5,960 7,660 7,780 61,410 
			 Returner to maintained sectors 7,070 8,710 7,820 7,230 6,070 6,040 6,210 4.960 5,490 59,590 
			 Total entrants 30,910 34,540 34,770 35,140 36,090 36,910 35,780 36,100 35,870 316,100 
			 Part-time   
			 Entrants to part-time teaching in the maintained schools sector   
			 Newly qualified entrants3 600 570 760 990 1,020 1,230 1,110 1,170 1,060 8,520 
			 New to maintained sector4 3,720 3,680 3,770 4,170 4,390 5,330 5,240 5.630 5.810 41,730 
			 Returner to maintained sector5 5,520 5,550 4,910 4,960 4,440 4,790 3,970 3,330 3,380 40,870 
			 Total entrants 9,840 9,800 9,440 10,130 9,850 11,340 10,330 10,130 10,260 91,120 
			 Total full-time and part-time   
			 Entrants to part-time teaching in the maintained schools sector   
			 Newly qualified entrants3 17,380 18,910 21.550 23,390 23,380 25,970 24,720 24,650 23,670 203,520 
			 New to maintained sector4 10,780 11,180 9,920 9,680 12,060 11,450 11,200 13,280 13,590 103,140 
			 Returner to maintained sectors5 12,590 14,260 12,740 12.200 10,510 10,830 10,180 8,300 8,860 100,450 
			 Total entrants 40,750 44,340 44,210 45,270 45,940 48,250 46,100 46,220 46,130 407,210 
		
	
	Source: Database of Teacher Records
	1. 10 to 20 per cent of part-time teachers may not be included in the figures as service details for many non-contributors to the teachers' pensions scheme are missing from the source data.
	2. Provisional estimates.
	3. Teacher qualified in the previous calendar year.
	4. Teacher has no known service in the English maintained schools sector and qualified before the previous calendar year.
	5. Teacher was not in service last year but has some previous service in the English maintained schools sector.
	Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding.

Social Care

Baroness Browning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost of a social services care assessment.

Earl Howe: The NHS Information Centre for health collects data on expenditure by councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) via the personal social services expenditure return (PSSEX1), but they are not collected at the level of detail requested. The nearest category is "assessment and care management", which is defined as:
	"The process of receiving referrals, assessing need, defining eligibility and arranging for packages of care to be provided and reviewing the quality and continued relevance of that care for older people. It includes field social work costs (including hospital social worker), other social services staff based in primary healthcare settings, occupational therapy services to older people and relevant support staff costs".
	In 2009-10, £2 billion was spent by councils on assessment and care management.

South Wales Police

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate the procedures and management of the South Wales Police Authority and its chief executive; and whether they will investigate the Authority's compliance with articles 8, 10 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord De Mauley: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary cannot undertake an investigation of South Wales Police Authority, as she has no official powers to investigate or to initiate an investigation of this nature. If the noble Lord has a particular concern, he should raise it with the relevant authority, such as Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary or the Independent Police Complaints Commissioner.

South Wales Police

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask HM Inspector of Constabulary, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Welsh Audit Office to investigate the management, procedures and efficiency of the South Wales Police Authority and its chief executive.

Lord De Mauley: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary does not have the authority to commission any of those organisations to conduct an investigation of that nature of South Wales Police Authority. However, if the noble Lord has real concerns, he should raise them with the relevant authority directly.

Sudan

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid they have made available to the Beja people of north-east Sudan, especially to those displaced and living at Port Sudan and those suffering the effects of drought and locusts.

Baroness Rawlings: British humanitarian support is channelled through the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) which provides aid to reduce dependency, increase self-reliance and build livelihoods. In 2010 the CHF provided $12.8 million to address urgent humanitarian needs in Eastern Sudan, which covers the areas populated by the Beja people and those displaced and living in Port Sudan. North-eastern Sudan experiences drought almost every year in some parts of the region and the droughts are of varying magnitudes. (Desert locust infestations do pose a threat in north-eastern Sudan, but there has been little damage to crops from locusts in the last few years. However, this is something that the CHF monitors and is able to respond to if the need arises).
	In the eastern states in 2009, the CHF helped improve the provision of health services, including immunization coverage, treatment for tuberculosis and the provision of essential drugs and laboratory services. It also trained 100 health care staff in the management of acute malnutrition and infant and child feeding.

Technology Strategy Board

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they gave to the Technology Strategy Board in each of the past three years; and what conditions they attached to the funding.

Baroness Wilcox: The Technology Strategy Board received government funding of £208 million in 2008-09 and £385 million in 2009-10. It is due to receive a total of £363 million in 2010-11.
	These figures comprise core funding from my department plus co-funding received from other government departments for specific Technology Strategy Board activities that look to support business innovation, such as funding for collaborative research projects, and focus on those opportunities which offer the greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity on the basis of business and academic strength.
	The overall framework governing the Technology Strategy Board is provided by the Science and Technology Act 1965 and the Royal Charter under which it was established. These are supplemented by a management statement and financial memorandum which establish the broad framework within which the board operates.
	Additionally, the Technology Strategy Board is issuing a tasking framework letter each spending review period. This includes the board's spending review settlement and an indication of the Government's policies and overall strategic objectives for technology and innovation over the spending review period. This tasking framework informs the board's strategic and delivery plans.

Technology Strategy Board

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the chairman of the Technology Strategy Board; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what his or her career has been to date.

Baroness Wilcox: Dr Graham Spittle, VP Software for UK and Ireland at IBM, is Chair of the Governing Board of the Technology Strategy Board. More information can be obtained from the Technology Strategy Board's website at www.innovateuk.org/aboutus/governingboard.ashx.

Technology Strategy Board

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the chairman of the Technology Strategy Board was selected; by whom; what process was followed in his or her selection; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the position; how many were short-listed for interview; how candidates were appraised; what criteria were adopted for the appointment; and whether candidates' views on (a) abortion, (b) reproductive rights and reproductive health, (c) embryo experimentation and (d) stem cell research were sought.

Baroness Wilcox: The position of chairman of the Technology Strategy Board was advertised on the Cabinet Office's public appointments vacancy website from 28 July to 29 August 2008 and the successful candidate took up the post from 1 December 2008. The process was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of the Commissioner of Public Appointments (OCPA). Under the terms of the Technology Strategy Board's royal charter, the selection was made by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	Two applications were received and both were invited to interview. Candidates were appraised against the criteria in the role and person specification published at the time to assess their suitability for the role. Candidates' views on abortion, reproductive rights and reproductive health, embryo experimentation and stem cell research were not sought as part of the selection process.

Trees: Phytophthora

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the £25 million five-year programme against Phytophthora pathogens commenced; how many known outbreaks in Japanese larch trees there were at the time; how many there are now; and what proportion of the programme has been diverted into countering the problem in that species.

Lord Henley: When the £25 million programme against the Phytophthora pathogens in England and Wales was launched on 1 April 2009, there were no records of infected Japanese larch anywhere in the world. The first reports of ill health in Japanese larch were made in the south west of England during July and August 2009, with laboratory confirmation of the presence of P. ramorum later that month. A survey of woodlands in the area commenced immediately and by December 2009 the pathogen had been confirmed at five sites distributed across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. The surveillance was extended the following spring once needles had flushed. There are now 129 woodland sites in Great Britain with confirmed, or assumed, infected Japanese larch trees. Further surveillance and resurvey will commence once trees have come back into needle this spring.
	In the current financial year, about 26 per cent of the annual programme fund (£980,000) has been diverted to investigate and support action on the disease in larch. This includes assistance to woodland owners in clearing infected Japanese larch trees in England and Wales; aerial surveys to identify the extent of infection; diagnostic testing of samples in the laboratory; and diversion of some staff time to provide specialist advice for the larch situation.

Trees: Phytophthora

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans they have to deal with any further species jump of Phytophthora ramorum of a similar nature to that which occurred in Japanese larch plantations which might affect large numbers of trees.

Lord Henley: The Forestry Commission, which is working closely with the Food and Environment Research Agency to address the threats from two Phytophthora pathogens, has put in place an Outbreak Management Team. This is in place to monitor the situation and to keep under review the disease management strategy to deal with tree infection and includes representation from the private sector. The pathogens have a wide host range but Forest Research scientists, who advise the Outbreak Management Team, are alert to the possibility of a further species jump and are engaged in research into species' susceptibility and resistance. A further programme of aerial surveys to detect signs of crown dieback will commence in the spring. This will monitor for signs of infection in both Japanese larch plantations and in other woodlands.

UK Trade and Investment: Central Asia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which markets in central Asia, including Mongolia and the south Caucasus, they have identified as priorities for investment by British businesses.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: UKTI has identified Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as priority markets for the region. These are markets where UKTI is actively represented and offer the full range of UKTI services. Political support to UK business is available in Mongolia and the other central Asia and south Caucasus markets. UKTI is reviewing its strategy in Mongolia.

UK Trade and Investment: Central Asia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much public money is allocated by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to each of the markets in central Asia, including Mongolia and the south Caucasus; how many personnel in UKTI are based in (a) the United Kingdom working on those markets, and (b) each of those countries; and how they measure the effectiveness of UKTI in those markets.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Responsibility for these markets in UKTI in London is held by teams which cover a number of other markets and sectors. A proportion of their time is devoted to work on these markets and is dependent upon demand.
	There are UKTI teams in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The resource allocated to each market is Kazakhstan: 5.10 full-time equivalent staff, and Azerbaijan: 2.07 full- time equivalent staff.
	In the other south Caucasus and central Asia markets, lobbying and political support on behalf of UK companies is carried out by the head of mission on a case by-case-basis.
	The effectiveness of UKTI in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is measured as part of UKTI's performance impact monitoring survey (PIMS). This independent evaluation reports the value that UKTI trade services deliver for UK business customers in global markets including Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. UKTI is reviewing its strategy for Mongolia.

UK Trade and Investment: Central Asia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the role of trade and industry councils; which countries in central Asia, including Mongolia and the south Caucasus, have bilateral trade and industry councils with the United Kingdom; how much public money they receive; how many officials in the United Kingdom work on them; how many times they met in each year of the past four years; and whether they will publish the report of each council's latest meeting.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: There are three such trade and industry councils: with Kazakhstan (KBTIC), Uzbekistan (UBTIC) and Turkmenistan (TUKTIC). An Azerbaijan council has not met since 2002; instead a self-standing business council now exists. These councils' overall aim is to develop strategies that directly support the efforts of firms to win business and maximise investment opportunities.
	There are differing arrangements for Kazakhstan because UKTI has dedicated resources in that market and is able to support KBTIC directly. In 2010-11 the amount spent on KBTIC was £9,000 and on UBTIC was £2,000. TUKTIC was initiated by business with the support of HM ambassador in Ashgabat but does not receive specific UKTI support. There are no officials in the UK dedicated to working on trade and industry councils but they fall within the work scope of UKTI's Russia, Turkey, central Asia and south Caucasus unit which comprises 5.7 officials.
	Meetings are held annually and alternate between London and the partner capital. KBTIC met in London in July 2008 and 2010 and in Astana in 2009. UBTIC met in London in November 2007 and 2009 and in Tashkent in December 2008 and 2010. TUKTIC first met in September 2010 in Ashgabat.
	It is for the individual councils to decide whether and how to publish their reports. The UKTI is reviewing its strategy for Mongolia.

UK Trade and Investment: Central Asia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sectors UK Trade and Investment promotes as offering opportunities for United Kingdom businesses in each of the countries in central Asia, including Mongolia and the south Caucasus.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: There are full UKTI services provided in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. In the other countries in central Asia, including Mongolia and the south Caucasus, political support is available to UK businesses.
	The key sector offering opportunities for UK businesses in Azerbaijan is energy. There are also significant opportunities for British business in the financial services, infrastructure, retail, education and construction sectors.
	For Kazakhstan the opportunities identified include: oil and gas, metals, minerals and mining, financial services, vocational education and skills development and nuclear industries.
	In Mongolia, UKTI is aware of growing opportunities in advanced engineering, minerals, mining, financial and professional services. UKTI is reviewing its strategy for this market.

UK Trade and Investment: Central Asia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister or other ministers have visited countries in central Asia, including Mongolia and the south Caucasus, to promote exports; and whether a Minister has travelled to Kazakhstan to negotiate a memorandum of understanding on trade similar to those signed by France and Germany, in response to the Kazakhstan foreign minister's comments about the United Kingdom taking up trade opportunities in Kazakhstan.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: There have been no recent visits to central Asia, south Caucasus or Mongolia by Ministers specifically to promote trade and investment, although all embassies are looking closely at commercial opportunities and how they can support British business. Ministers take every opportunity in multilateral fora and in other visits to support UK business.
	The Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister for Europe, visited Astana in Kazakhstan for the OSCE summit in December 2010. This provided a range of opportunities to promote British business. The then Minister for Energy in the previous Government visited Turkmenistan in early 2010 to promote UK expertise in the oil and gas sector.
	For the south Caucasus, the Minister for Europe took a trade mission to Azerbaijan in the autumn of 2010 to look at opportunities beyond the energy sector.
	The UK does not have a general trade MoU with Kazakhstan. However, the Kazakh British Trade and Industry Council (KBTIC) operates under a MoU concluded in 1994. KBTIC is led by the private sector and an action plan in the financial services, education, mining and minerals and nuclear sectors was agreed by the two sides in November 2010. This will be taken forward in the summer when the council next meets. We are keen to develop our bilateral relationship with Kazakhstan further and when an appropriate opportunity occurs, we will explore a trade MoU.
	UKTI is reviewing the position in Mongolia.

UK-EU Trade

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the United Kingdom's ten main export markets; and how many of those are in the European Union.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: In 2010, the UK's top 10 export markets for goods were the United States of America, Germany, the Netherlands, France, the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, China, and Sweden. Eight of these are members of the European Union.
	In 2009, the UK's top ten export markets for services were the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Japan, and Australia. Six of these are members of the European Union.

UK-EU Trade

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the value of all exports in goods and services from the United Kingdom to the European Union.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: In 2009, UK exports of goods to the European Union were worth about £124 billion on a balance-of-payments basis, and exports of services about £66 billion, to give a total of £190 billion.
	In 2010, UK exports of goods to the European Union were worth about £142 billion. Exports of services to the EU were worth about £49 billion in the first three quarters of 2010; an initial estimate of full-year figures is due to be published on 29 March.

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 3 December 2010 (WA 506), whether employers can bring in an unlimited number of non-European Economic Area workers for up to a year using intra-company transfer visas if their earnings are between £24,000 and £40,000 per annum; what is the effect on the economy of allowing such migrants to compete with unemployed workers in the United Kingdom; and why such temporary posts require filling.

Baroness Neville-Jones: We have exempted intra-company transfer visas from our annual limit in response to views expressed in our consultation. Salary thresholds are not the only condition attached to the intra-company transfer route. For example, transferees who are filling posts must have at least 12 months' previous experience with the company; the post must be on the list of graduate level occupations; and an intra-company transferee will not be able to return with 12 months of the expiry of his previous leave. This ensures that the route is used only to meet business needs for temporary posts that require established company knowledge and experience, not for posts that could be filled by a new recruit from the UK. It is for sponsoring employers to determine why such posts require filling.

Visas

Lord Fellowes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on overseas students studying in the United Kingdom of the changes in visa policy proposed by the UK Border Agency, with particular reference to the Tier 1 post-study work visa and the Tier 4 student visa.

Baroness Neville-Jones: A consultation on the student immigration system closed on 31 January. It sought the views of all respondents on the effect of the proposals. The results and an impact assessment will be published in due course.

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 10 January (WA 423), why it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly's activities in relation to the national origin of his passport or passports and visas; when they will permit that information to be made public; and what social security benefits were being paid to him before his death.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government cannot comment on individual immigration matters unless the subject themselves has made this information public. In any case, given the subject on this occasion is a matter of ongoing investigation by the Swedish authorities, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment.
	As for the issue of Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly's social security benefits, a deceased customer's benefit details will be released only to the executor of the estate, or a person so authorised by the executor or, where appropriate, a close relative.

Winter Fuel Payments

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 2 February (WA 280), why winter fuel payments are paid to persons residing in warm countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and not subject to European Union law; how many such people receive the payments outside EEA countries; and what is the annual cost.

Lord Freud: Winter Fuel Payments are paid to former UK residents living in the European Economic Area and Switzerland if they qualified for a payment before leaving the UK.
	Winter Fuel Payments may be made to people living outside the European Economic Area, if a person was eligible during the qualifying week but subsequently moved to a non-European Economic Area country. Such individuals would still receive payment for that year but there would be no continuing entitlement.
	In 2009-10, the last year for which figures are available, fewer than 500 payments were made to people living outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Expenditure data for these payments is not available.

World Book Day

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support World Book Day.

Baroness Rawlings: The Government support World Book Day's aim of encouraging children to explore the pleasures of books and reading. The promotion of literacy and the love of reading remain central to the purpose of the modern public library service, and events to celebrate World Book Day will be taking place in libraries across the country.

Young Offenders: Diet

The Earl of Listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the diet of children in young offenders' institutions.

Lord McNally: Young offender institutions in England and Wales provide offenders with three meals a day: normally breakfast, lunch and an evening meal. They offer a multi-choice, pre-select menu that includes healthy options for both lunch and evening meals. The young people are free to choose from a selection of meal options which encompass the religious, cultural, medical and lifestyle choices of individuals. Planned menus are consistent with recommendations on nutritional and energy intake made by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy and government initiatives on eating a healthy diet.
	Educating all offenders, including young people, to eat a more healthy diet is key. Increasingly the National Offender Management Service is adopting a multi-disciplinary approach and working with the Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency and others to encourage individuals to eat more healthily.
	The individual clinical needs of offenders are assessed by medical officers. Any additional necessary nutritional supplements would be given on the authority of the establishment medical practitioner.